A Kartie Story
by GirlInTheMirror121
Summary: "We'll always be best friends!" "Always?" "Forever and ever!" Kurt and Artie's friendship, from age 4 to age 18. Turns into eventual Kartie romance. Sad and sweet. Rated T for eventual language/content. Oh, and please read and review! COMPLETE.
1. Sweater Vests Are SO Last Season

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Glee characters**

**Hey, guys! This is my first Glee fanfiction. I normally write Broadway ff, so this is my first non-Broadway story. I hope you like it! **

Kurt snuggled into his blanket, cup of cocoa resting in his hands. He looked across the room to Artie, his best friend (well, besides Mercedes, of course). Artie looked back at Kurt, and Kurt smiled to himself.

"What're you thinking about?" Artie asked, shyly.

"Oh, nothing," Kurt said, blasé. Artie gave him his best "bullshit" look.

"Sure. Right. And Lady GaGa isn't a freak," Artie said. Kurt giggled. There was a moment of comfortable silence between the two friends.

"Artie?"  
"Yes, Kurt?"

"Do you remember how we met?"

_**Flashback, 12 years ago**_

"Come on, Kurtie! We're going to the park!" Mrs. Hummel called to her son.

"Okay, Mommy!" Kurt replied, adjusting his shirt one last time before running to his mother's side. They walked to the park, hand-in-hand, mother and son. Burt, Kurt's dad, was at work. Raina, Kurt's mom, was a stay-at-home mom, dedicated to spending time with her only child. Kurt loved having his mommy around all the time. He enjoyed watching her put her makeup on, as well as going shopping with her, especially now that she let him pick out some of his own clothes.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached the park. Kurt sat cautiously at the edge of the sandbox; he didn't want to get his shirt dirty (heaven forbid!). There was another little boy there, just about Kurt's age. He wore a green sweater-vest, and had thick, black glasses. Kurt wrinkled his nose; even at the tender age of 4, he knew that sweater-vests were _so_ last season. Still, something about the boy intrigued him.

"Hi," he said quietly. The boy looked up.

Hi," he said, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"My name's Kurt Elizabeth Hummel," Kurt said.

"My name's Arthur Q. Abrams," Artie said. "But everyone calls me Artie".

"What's the Q stand for?" Kurt asked, curious.

"Quincy," Artie said, wincing. Kurt winced, too. That was a silly middle name, he thought to himself. He was glad that he'd chosen Elizabeth as his middle name.

"Why are you sitting on the edge of the sandbox?" Artie asked.

"I don't wanna get my new shirt dirty," Kurt said.

"Why? Will your mommy get mad?"

"No," Kurt said, rolling his eyes a little. "It's from the Marc Jacobs 'junior' collection."

"Oh," Artie said softly. "Who's Marc Jacobs?"

Kurt gasped. "Only theeee best designer EVER!"

"Sorry," Artie whimpered. "I don't know much about clothing."

"That much is evident," Kurt said, without realizing that it sounded rude.

"What do you mean?" Artie asked innocently.

"Well, for starters, Artie, sweater-vests are SO last season. What's _au courant_ is _this_," Kurt said, gesturing to his meticulously planned outfit. Artie nodded. At that moment, Artie's mother walked up to the sandbox. "Time to go, Artie!" she said merrily.

"It was nice to meet you, Kurt Elizabeth Hummel," Artie said.

"You too, Artie," Kurt said, politely. Raina walked up just then, and Kurt stood up, taking his mother's hand.

"Have a good time, Kurt?"

Kurt paused, thinking. _Had_ he had a good time? It was true that Arthur Q. Abrams did _not_ have fashion sense at all. On the other hand, _did_ seem like a nice boy. And who knows? Maybe, just maybe, they could be friends. (Of course, Artie would have to have a serious makeover first…)


	2. We'll Always Be Best Friends

**Disclaimer: Don't own Glee characters.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! I would really love constructive feedback on this story! **

_**Present tense**_

"Yeah," Artie said softly. "I remember how we met. You told me off for wearing a sweater-vest."  
Kurt laughed. "And now they're in style again!"

Artie tried to look all serious at Kurt. "You wore Marc Jacobs at the age of 4."

Kurt scoffed. "I was a very precocious toddler, thank you very much!"

Artie looked down at his hot chocolate. "Never said you weren't".

Another moment of silence between the friends.

"Artie?"

"Yes, Kurt?"

"Do you ever think about it?"

"Do I ever think about what?"

"Well…you know," Kurt said, eyes motioning towards Artie's legs.

"Oh. That. I try not to think of that night, to be honest," Artie said earnestly. "Why, do you think about it?"

Kurt sighed. "Sometimes, if I'm really missing my mother."

_**Flashback, 8 years ago**_

Kurt was lying at home in bed. His mom, Artie, and Artie's mom had gone to see a movie. Kurt was sick, so he was staying in for the night with Burt. Kurt had really wanted to see that movie, too, especially with his best friend, Artie. Kurt loved Artie, in his own special way, despite the fact that Artie insisted on wearing sweater-vests (still!) and had those same thick, black glasses that took up half of his tiny face. Artie was interesting, and he was funny. He put up with Kurt's fashionista-ness and went to all of Kurt's tea parties (held in Kurt's backyard with utmost elegance, of course).

Kurt rolled over and turned off his light. Might as well get some sleep so he could get better; maybe they could go to the zoo next weekend! He didn't sleep for very long, though. He woke up a couple hours later to his dad shaking him awake.

"What is it, daddy?" Kurt asked, still in a sleepy haze.

"Kurt, buddy…your mom, Artie, and Betty were in a bad car accident." Kurt froze. Not his best friend! And his mommy, too? He could hardly breathe.

"Is Artie okay?" he dared to breathe.

"He got pretty banged up, and he's in the hospital, but he's alive." Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. One person, safe for now…

"What about Betty?"

"She's just fine." Kurt smiled. Surely his mom was fine, too!

"What about mommy?" Kurt asked, unsure. After all, his dad had said "bad" accident…

"I'm so sorry, buddy," Burt said. "But your mom…your mom is gone."

Kurt's brow furrowed. "Gone? What do you mean?"  
"She died, son," Burt said, starting to openly sob now. "Your mother is dead, Kurt."

Tears began spilling from Kurt's eyes. Dead! His mother couldn't be dead! But the look on his dad's face told Kurt that he wasn't lying. Kurt's heart stopped. "No," he whispered. Burt could only nod. Kurt hugged his father, afraid, because he'd never seen his father cry before. There they stayed for the rest of the night, father and son, the way they'd be for the rest of their lives now.

**The Next Day**

"Kurt, do you want to go to the hospital to visit Artie?" Burt asked. Kurt nodded. Anything to take his mind off of the fact that his mother was gone. When they got to the hospital, they found Artie lying in his bed, sleeping on his back. Kurt immediately found that odd; Artie always slept on his _side_, never his back! It was then that Kurt knew something was very, very wrong with his friend. Betty was sitting in a chair next to Artie's bed, sniffling quietly. She looked up as Kurt and Burt entered the room and dried her eyes with the tissue she'd been holding.

"Hello, Kurt," she said softly, getting up to embrace the boy she'd come to know as almost her second son. "I'm so sorry, honey…I'm so, so sorry…" Kurt leaned into her, his second mother. They broke apart, and Betty leaned over to embrace Burt. "David just ran home to get some sleep," she said. "He should be back later." She looked over at her sleeping son with a worried look on her face. Kurt, in the meantime, had made his way over to Artie's bedside and was holding his best friend's hand.

"Is he okay, Betty?" Burt asked concernedly.

"No," Betty said bluntly. "He's paralyzed from the waist down. He'll never be able to walk again." Her voice broke on the last word.

"Oh God," Burt said, looking over at Artie. Yes, he'd just lost his wife, but this woman had, in a sense, lost her son.

Kurt had overheard every word that Betty had said. A tear rolled down his cherubic cheeks. He just couldn't believe that his mother was dead AND his best friend would never be able to walk again. The only way his life could get any worse was if his dad left, too. He squeezed Artie's hand, hoping he would wake up. Artie did.

"Kurt?" he asked, confused.

"I'm right here, Artie," Kurt whispered. "I'm right here".

Betty and Burt looked at the moment their boys were sharing, and decided to give them some time alone. They told the boys where they were going, and headed down to the hospital's cafeteria for a cup of coffee.

"Kurt, can you please get me my glasses?" Artie asked, feeling more awake now. Kurt obliged, gently putting Artie's glasses on his nose. "And can you make my bed go up a little bit? It's that button, right there." Kurt nodded, pushing the little button and making Artie's bed rise to more of a sitting position. There was a pause.

"Kurt?"

"Yeah, Artie?" Kurt asked, quickly composing himself.

"I'm really sorry about your mommy."

Kurt sniffled. "Thanks. I'm sorry about your legs."

Artie shrugged. "What are legs compared to a mother?" Artie was always talking like that, being the "smart one", while Kurt was the "fashionable one".

Kurt felt more tears spill down his cheeks. "But Artie, you'll never be able to dance again!" One of Kurt and Artie's favorite pastimes was dancing together to Madonna and Britney Spears music videos on MTV.

Artie's face fell. "I guess I never thought about that." He began to cry.

Kurt wiggled into bed next to Artie and put his arms around him. "Don't cry, Artie! Please don't cry!"

Artie sniffled. "But I love dancing! And now I can't ever dance again!" Tears streamed down his cheeks and plopped onto the bedsheets.

Kurt brushed Artie's tears away and tenderly kissed his cheek. "I still love you, Artie. Legs or no legs, we'll always be best friends!"

Artie turned his head to look at Kurt. "Always?"

Kurt grinned. "Forever and ever!"

Artie managed to crack a smile. "Forever and ever", he whisper-repeated, leaning his forehead against Kurt's. Kurt snuggled up to Artie, laying his head on Artie's chest, enjoying the feel of Artie's chest rise and fall as he breathed. The two stayed like that until their parents came back into the room.

"Time to go, Kurt. We can see Artie tomorrow."

Kurt smiled. "Okay." He got off the bed, giving Artie's hand one final squeeze for strength. Artie squeezed back his gratitude.

"See you later, alligator," Kurt said as he left the room.

"After a while, crocodile!" Artie called back, feeling much better.


	3. Mall Trip!

**Disclaimer: Do not own Glee characters. Although, if they put a nice, shiny price tag on Kurt, I would soooo buy him in two seconds flat.**

**In lieu of a new Glee episode tonight, I shall give you the next chapter of this story! Aren't you lucky? Yahootie for you!**

_**Present Day**_

Kurt began to softly cry at the memory. He hadn't thought about that night in a long time, and it hurt. Artie rolled his chair up to Kurt's side and put his arm around Kurt's shoulders. Kurt pulled away; he didn't want this, not now. Artie drew back, slightly wounded.

"I'm sorry, Artie," Kurt said. "It's just that…sometimes…I have to wonder…why did my mother die, and yours didn't? Why did you get away alive? Why…?"

Artie put two fingers to Kurt's lips. "Shh. You don't think _I _don't feel guilty? You don't think I don't think about this every time I see you? You don't think my _mom_ doesn't have survivor's guilt every time she sees your dad? Kurt…no one could've foretold that accident. Some drunk idiot ran a red light. It wasn't my fault, or your mom's, or my mom's. It was his fault, and he's behind bars now." Artie put his hand over Kurt's heart. "She's still here, Kurt. Right here, in your heart. In all of ours." Kurt put his hand over Artie's and squeezed it tight.

"Do you remember that time in 5th grade…?"

_**Flashback, 6 years ago**_

Kurt walked happily through the mall, pushing Artie's wheelchair the entire time. The mall was Kurt's happy place; there was just something about the prospect of a good sale on designer sweaters that made Kurt's spine tingle with excitement. The two friends chattered away, while Betty walked a few paces behind.

She smiled sadly at the sight of the two boys; she saw so much of Raina, her own best friend, in Kurt. She lived with the guilt almost every day; why her? Just the thought that it could've been her, or—God forbid—Artie, was terrifying. She thanked God that Kurt hadn't been in that car, too. She couldn't shake the feeling that Kurt wouldn't have survived. Still, he was here, and acting as a brother-figure to her son.

"Where should we go first?" Kurt asked excitedly.

"Umm…I wanna check out the cool gadgets at Brookstone," Artie said.

"Okay," Kurt said. "Then we can go to the music store!"

"Why the music store?"

"Beee-cuzzz, Artie, Madonna's new CD drops today!" Kurt said, exasperated.

"Oh, of course," Artie said. The two continued their banter, and went on their shopping trip. After Kurt was proudly holding his copy of Madonna's new CD, the trio went to the food court for a quick snack.

"Betty…can I talk to you for a second?" Kurt asked quietly.

"Sure, honey. What is it?"

"Will you…will you help me pick out some new outfits? My dad…he doesn't understand fashion. And you know…my mom always went shopping with me…since you're sort of like my mom…would you go shopping with me from time to time?"

Betty smiled. "Of course, honey. I'd love to."

Kurt smiled back. "Thanks, Betty."

"Anytime, Kurt."

Artie was already towards the end of the hall. "Come on, Kurt!" he called to his friend.

"I'll be right there," Kurt called back. He quickly hugged Betty, and ran to Artie's side. Betty smiled to herself. The two were inseparable, all right. Betty almost questioned things for a minute, but then pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind. For now, she'd just sit back, the proud mama and mother-figure to two incredible boys.  
"So what were you and my mom talking about?" Artie asked Kurt.

"Oh, just about clothes," Kurt said nonchalantly.

"Oh," Artie said quietly.

There was an awkward pause.

"Kurt?"

"Yeah, Artie?"

"I'm really glad we're best friends."


	4. I'm Gay

_**Present Day**_

"Why did you randomly remember _that_ day, Kurt?"

Kurt giggled. "I have noooo clue. I just thought it was a good, good day."

"Why, because you got the last copy of that Madonna CD?"

Kurt laughed. "No! Because we always had such fun times together at the mall."

Artie grinned. "That, we did."

"Artie, this is gonna sound really weird…"

"…oh, God. Whenever you say that, I get nervous," Artie joked.

"…but can I sit in your lap?" Kurt asked.

Artie's eyes widened. For some reason, the thought of Kurt snuggling up to him, sitting in his lap…in this very tight space…turned him on like crazy.

"S…sure," Artie stammered. Kurt climbed into Artie's lap and snuggled in. Kurt sniffed the top of Artie's head.

"Nice shampoo," Kurt said.

"Th…thanks," Artie stuttered. Why was he stuttering? Why was Kurt, all of a sudden, making him so damn nervous?

"Hey, Artie?"

"Y…yes, Kurt?" Artie asked, curious as to where this one was going.

"Do you remember when I came out to you?"

Artie did, in fact remember that day.

_**Flashback, 3 years ago**_

Kurt stood against the locker, shaking. He'd just been harassed about his outfit—again. He slid down to the floor and buried his head in his arms. Artie rolled down the hall, did a double take, and rolled back to Kurt.

"Kurt?"

Kurt gasped and looked up. "Artie! Oh, God, it's just you."

"What a greeting," Artie said. Then he noticed the terrified look on Kurt's face. "Hey, you okay?"

Kurt quickly finger-combed his hair. "Um, yeah, just fine."

"No, you're not, Kurt. What happened?"

"Nothing happened, Artie! I'm fine." He stood up quickly and grabbed his book bag off the floor. "Are we still on for the sleepover tonight?"  
"Of course," Artie said, smiling. He'd been looking forward to it all week.

"Good," Kurt said. "I'll bring the music—"  
"—and I'll provide the snacks, yes, I know. Kurt, we go over this every weekend!"

"I know. I just like reminding you of these things. See you at 8. Oh, and Artie?"

"Yes?"

"Bring the fat-free popcorn this time, would you?"

"Will do, Kurt. Will do."

**Later that night**

The two had just finished watching _Chicago_, one of Kurt's new favorite movies, and were now relaxing in Artie's bedroom. Kurt was unusually quiet, and Artie didn't fail to notice this. Kurt _always_ sang along to "All That Jazz", and tonight, the song didn't even bring a smile to Kurt's face.

"What's wrong, Kurt?" Artie asked cautiously.

"Like I said earlier, Artie, nothing's wrong."

"Come on, Kurt. We've been best friends for 9 years now. I know when something's wrong with you, and something is most definitely wrong with you." Kurt didn't reply. Instead, he stood up and walked over to the bed where Artie was lying. He sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at the door to make sure it was securely closed.

"Artie…will you swear never to tell anybody what I'm about to divulge to you?"

Artie looked straight into Kurt's eyes. "I swear it."

"Swear on Albert Einstein and…and all those other…smart dead guys?"

Artie smiled. "I swear on Alexander Graham Bell."

Kurt cracked a small smile, but it faded as quickly as it had come. He looked away, tears slowly filling his eyes. Artie immediately began to worry.

"What is it, Kurt?" he asked, leaning forward.

"…I'm gay," Kurt whispered.

Artie smiled. "Is that it?"

Kurt sniffled. "What do you mean, 'is that it'?"

Artie put his hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Kurt…I've known for years that you, in fact, err…bat for the other team."

Kurt wiped the tears from his eyes. "You have?"

"How could I not? Kurt, when we first met, you told me off for wearing a sweater-vest…and then told me I should be wearing Marc Jacobs instead."

Kurt giggled at the memory. "This is true…"

"And you have an entire iPod dedicated to selections from _Wicked_."

Kurt laughed out loud. "Yes, I most certainly do."

Artie grinned. "Kurt, I don't _care_ what sexuality you are. You're still my best friend! You didn't leave me when I lost my legs…and I'm not about to leave you just because you're gay. I still love you, no matter what."

Kurt threw himself into Artie's arms, knocking Artie back into the pillows. "Thanks, Artie. It means so much to me, it really does."

"Am I the first person you've told?" Artie asked, his voice muffled by Kurt's arms.

"Yes," Kurt admitted. "You are."

"Well, I'm honored," Artie said.

Kurt straightened up, smiling away.

"Do you feel better now?"

"Yes, much better," Kurt said. "Thanks for listening, Artie."  
"Anytime," Artie said.

Kurt clapped his hands. "So! Now, I'll go check on the cookies, and you sit here and relax. I'll be sure to put extra sprinkles on yours, just for being such a good friend!"

Artie smiled to himself as Kurt skipped out of the room. He really _didn't_ care if Kurt was gay or straight or whatever. Kurt was still his brother-friend, and nothing, _nothing_ would ever change that.


	5. Truth or Dare?

**Disclaimer: So I don't own Glee. This is sad. Because I'd totally write a Kurt/Artie dealie for season 1. Possibly season 2. Possibly forever. **

**Note: Okay, so I was going to give this to you tomorrow, in honor of the "Sexy" episode, but I think I'll give it to you tonight!**

**Note 2: I've been working on this story almost non-stop. I've got tons more for you! So fear not! (And yes, the other characters will be coming soon. You'll be seeing Tina, Mercedes, and the rest of ND. Also, you'll be seeing Blaine eventually.)**

_**Present Day**_

"I still can't believe you tackle-pounced me like that," Artie said, rubbing his back at the memory of it. Kurt blushed, looking down. "Not that I'm complaining," Artie rushed on. "But it caught me off-guard. That's all." Embarrassed, he looked away from the boy that was still sitting on his lap.

"This sounds a bit random," Artie began. "But I remember the very first time we played Truth or Dare. Do you?"

Kurt laughed. "Oh, yeah! It was right here, wasn't it?"

"Yep," Artie swallowed. "It got pretty…interesting, if I remember correctly."

_**Flashback, 3 years ago**_

"Truth or Dare?" Kurt asked his best friend, bouncing up and down on the bed. He'd loved playing Truth or Dare at Fashion Camp, and was thrilled to now pass on the fun to Artie. And who knew what would happen? If it was anything like what had happened at camp, it was sure to be interesting.

"Truth," Artie said, after a moment's thought.

"Okay," Kurt said. "Ummm…if you could speak any other language, what would it be, and why?" A lame question, Kurt knew, but he had to start off with something easy.

"Oh, that's easy," Artie said. "Latin, because it's the ancient language of the arts and sciences. It's also a dead language, making it even more thrilling."

"…sure…" Kurt said. "Now, my turn!" he clapped his hands with glee.

"Okay, Truth or Dare?" Artie asked.

"Truth," Kurt said, anticipating the question that was to come.

"What is your ideal man?" Artie asked, with a devilish grin on his face.

"WHAT?" Kurt exclaimed. He felt his face get red and hot; he hadn't expected THAT!

"You heard me," Artie said, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"Well…" Kurt said, trying to compose himself. "My ideal man…he has brown hair…but lighter eyes. Maybe grey eyes, or light blue. He's my best friend and my boyfriend, of course. And of course, well-dressed, but not as fashionable as _moi_. Smart, so that we could talk as intellectuals do at one of those fancy Parisian cafés. He wears glasses, because I find glasses incredibly attractive on a man for some reason. All in all, he's just a really great, funny, smart, handsome man."

"Oh," Artie said in a small voice. "He sounds really," Artie cleared his throat. "Nice."

What he sounded like, Artie thought, was…_me_. Could it be…no. That was silly; Kurt's ideal man wasn't _him_. Or was it…?

There had been a lingering awkward pause.

"So…Truth or Dare?" Kurt asked softly.

"Dare," Artie said, suddenly feeling bold.

"I dare you to tell me if you've ever had a wet dream," Kurt said, giggling.

Artie's face flushed a red that Kurt had only seen in clothing. "Yes," he admitted.

"Rea-lly?" Kurt asked, curious. "Who about?"

Artie turned even redder. "Um…just a girl. I don't remember her name." Artie didn't _dare_ admit that his dream had been about Kurt.

Kurt raised his perfectly waxed eyebrows. "Just a girl, eh?"

"Yes," Artie said firmly. "Just a girl."

"Okay," Kurt said, not completely believing him. "If ya say so."

"So have you ever?" Artie asked Kurt.

"Have _I_ ever had a wet dream?" Kurt asked. When Artie nodded, Kurt flushed. "Once," he admitted. "About Daniel Radcliffe." Artie laughed. "What?" Kurt asked, indignant. "He's hot! And besides, Harry Potter can totally play Quidditch with me _an-y-time_".

Artie laughed. "So what you're saying is you find nerdy wizards attractive?"

Kurt giggled. "Mayyyybe?"

Artie chuckled and shook his head. "Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, you really are something. You know that, right?"

"Yes, I most certainly do," Kurt said, striking his best diva pose.

Artie took the moment to lob Kurt with a pillow.

"What was that for?" Kurt yelled. "I was being a diva!"

"Exactly!" Artie said. "I needed to knock you out of it!"

Kurt giggled and threw the pillow back at Artie. Before they knew it, an all-out pillow fight was on.

"Don't mess up my hair!" Kurt giggle-gasped, dodging a well-aimed pillow shaped like a dolphin (don't ask where he got that one. It was on sale.).

The boys continued their pillow war for several minutes. Kurt collapsed exhaustedly onto Artie's legs, giggling and panting for breath.

"That was awesome," Artie said, unable to control his laughter.

"Ah-greed," Kurt gasped out.


	6. I Love You

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Glee characters. Except in my mind.**

**Note: This one's a bit longer! And finally, they are together! Yaaay! **

_**Present Day**_

"That was probably one of the most awkward conversations I've ever had," Artie said, shaking his head. "I can't believe you actually asked me that."

"Whaaaat? It's a CLASSIC Truth or Dare question, Artie!"

"Oh, really, Mr. 'Harry Potter Can Play Quidditch with Me Anytime'?"

Kurt blushed. "Only I can make Quidditch sexual, right?"

Artie laughed. "Kurt, you could make a fucking plastic baggie sexual".

"They do make good emergency condoms," Kurt said. Artie hung his head, shaking it and suppressing his laughter.

"Do I even _want_ to know how you know that?" Artie asked.

"Oh, trust me, you don't," Kurt giggled mischievously. "What's the furthest you've ever gone with a girl, anyway?" Kurt asked Artie.

"I've…neverbeenkissed," Artie blurted out.

"I thought you liked Tina Cohen-Chang," Kurt said, confused.

"Yes…but she likes that Other Asian. She turned me down flat."

"Oooh, Artie. I'm sorry."

"Why?"  
"Because…she's missing out on a really great person."

Artie blushed. "Kurt, do you mind getting off my lap now? I kind of want to lie down. My back's hurting a little."

"Oh, sure," Kurt said, hopping down to the floor. "Do you need help getting in bed?"

"Yes, please," Artie said. Kurt carefully picked Artie up, and Artie wrapped his arms around Kurt's neck. They stayed like that for a few moments, before Kurt made his way, slowly, to the bed, where he gently laid Artie down.

"Thanks," Artie whispered.

"You're welcome," Kurt breathed. He sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Artie…can you feel this?" he asked, gently pressing down on Artie's ankles.

"No," Artie said, curious as to where this was going.

"How about this?" Kurt asked again, touching Artie's knee.

"No, I can't feel that," Artie said, daring to let go of the breath he'd been holding.

Kurt inched up the bed towards Artie. Close, closer, closer still he went, until his face was only two inches away from Artie's.

"What about this?" Kurt asked once more, before gently pressing his lips to Artie's. Artie's eyes fluttered closed as he enjoyed the feeling of Kurt's lips on his; his very first kiss, ever. Oh, God, it felt so good, so natural, so…right. After a few moments, Kurt broke away. "There," he said. "Now you've been kissed…and so have I."

Artie's eyes widened. "That was your first, too?"

Kurt smiled shyly. "Yeah," he said. "It was."  
"So do you like me, then?" Artie asked, hopeful.

"Yes," Kurt admitted. "I really do. I've liked you for years, Artie. I was hoping…maybe…"

"I like you, too," Artie said.

Now it was time for Kurt's eyes to widen. "You do? I mean…you're gay, Artie?"

"I think so," Artie said, looking down. "Remember how I said I had that wet dream about a girl?" Kurt nodded. "Well…it was really about _you_, Kurt. I just…was afraid to admit it at the time. I thought you'd be freaked out."

"On the contrary," Kurt said slowly. "I find that incredibly sexy".

_**Two months later**_

Kurt and Artie were making out heavily on Kurt's bed. Thankfully, Burt was away for the weekend, and, not knowing that Kurt and Artie had been fooling around for the past two months, had allowed Artie to stay over to keep Kurt company.

"Artie?" Kurt asked between kisses.

"Yes?" Artie said, gasping for breath.

"Can I talk to you about…sex?"

Artie broke away from the kissing hurriedly. "What do you mean?"

"My dad never really talked to me about sex. I mean, I know how babies are made and all, but we were never able to talk about…you know," Kurt said, embarrassed. He'd only recently come out to his dad, and Burt wasn't completely comfortable with talking about sex with his son.

"Well," Artie said, leaning back against the pillows. "Look in my duffel bag. I think there's something in there that might help you."

Kurt leapt off the bed and rummaged around in Artie's bag, coming across a book.

"_The Complete Guide to Gay Sex?"_ Kurt cried.

"It's…errr…research," Artie said quickly. "You know how I love science…"

"…this is amazing…" Kurt said, rifling through the pages. He suddenly turned beet red. "Is this really…OH MY GOD."

"What? Oh, did you see the picture on page 69?" Artie asked smugly.

"Um…yes…is that…SWEET JESUS!" Kurt yelled.  
Artie laughed. "I know, I know. Interesting, isn't it?"

"…I'll _say_," Kurt gasped in awe.

"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, you can't tell me that YOU'RE embarrassed about sex!" Artie said. "You, Mr. Sexual Innuendo!"

Kurt blushed. "Well…yes, I'm a little embarrassed."

"Aww, it's okay," Artie said reassuringly. "I was, too, at first. But I found that the more research I did the more comfortable with it I became."

Kurt brought the book over to the bed and sat down. "Will you…do some research with me?" he asked shyly, feeling his face heat up once more.

"Of course," Artie said, smiling. "We can start with this book, if you want, or we can fire up my laptop and look up some things there."

"Well, let's start with the book for now, while it's here. Then later, we can look up some things on the Internet."

"Deal. And Kurt?"

"Yeah?"  
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, you know."

"I know…I'm just…worried."  
"About what?"

"If we ever did…you know…"  
"Have sex?"

Kurt flushed. "Yeah…that it would…"  
"Ruin our friendship?" Artie supplied for him.

"Mm-hmm." Kurt nodded.

"I've thought about that, too," Artie admitted. "But we can take it slow, if you want. I'm willing to wait for you, Kurt…I…I love you."

"You…you love me?" Kurt squeaked.

"Yes. I love you." Artie said firmly and confidently.

"I love you too," Kurt whispered, leaning in to gently cup Artie's chin in his hands and kiss his lips softly.

_**Two weeks later**_

Kurt and Artie were in the halls at school. They were on their way to New Directions rehearsal, and were now secretly dating. Kurt limped alongside Artie; he'd fallen on his ankle during gym class, and it was bothering him.

"Want me to give you a ride?" Artie asked his boyfriend.

"Oh, please and thank you!" Kurt gasp-sighed, climbing into Artie's lap. He snuggled up to his boyfriend's chest, throwing his arms around Artie's neck and kissing him on the cheek. Artie kissed Kurt's forehead, and began rolling the two of them down the hall.

"Your arms are so…_strong_!" Kurt breathed. "They're so…sexy!"

Artie grinned. "I've had years of practice to build them up."

"I can tell!" Kurt said.

"Thanks," replied Artie. "Kurt," he began. "Should we tell them?"

"Them?"

"New Directions. Should we tell them that we're…together?"

Kurt paused. "Yes," he said, after a moment's thought. "I'm ready."

The two rolled into the choir room, where everyone else was waiting for them.

"Well," Mr. Schuester began. "Now that we're all here…"

"Excuse me, Mr. Schue, but Artie and I have something to say first," Kurt interrupted, getting down off Artie's lap to stand beside him.

"Oh, well, go right ahead," Mr. Schue said, while the rest of the group looked on curiously. Kurt and Artie each took a deep breath.

"We're dating," they said in one collective breath.

There was a moment's silence, and Kurt and Artie held their breaths, waiting for an answer. It came:

Rachel: Oh, my God.

Finn: Well…well…that's, uh…  
Mercedes: Congrats, guys! I'm so happy for you, Kurt!  
Tina: …is this because I rejected you, Artie?

Brittany: So you guys are like…a couple couple now?

Finn: They're Kartie now. That's their couple name. Just like how Puck and Rachel were Puckleberry, and Santana and Brittany are Brittana.

"Hmm…Kartie. I like it," Kurt said. "Sounds like a new, exciting designer."

"So do you guys accept us?" Artie asked, not daring to look anyone directly in the eye.

"Of course we do," Mr. Schuester said. "Right, guys?"  
"Of course," they all murmured. Kurt clapped his hands. "Right, then! I think we should start thinking about Sectionals, how about you, Mr. Schue?"

"Kurt's right; Sectionals is only a month away. Let's get started."

_**Later that night**_

"Do you really accept us, Mercedes?" Kurt asked, on the phone with his other best friend.

"Of course I do, Kurt. How could I not? You're my best friend. And you know I think Artie's a really sweet kid, even if he lacks a certain diva quality."

"Oh, trust me, Mercedes. Artie can be a diva if he wants. He nearly staged a riot the day he found out they were discontinuing his favorite brand of suspenders…"

"Tina, are you mad at me?" Artie asked, on the phone with Tina.

"Why would I be mad at you, Artie?"

"Because you rejected me for Mike, and then I started dating a gay guy."

"Oh, right. People are going to think I turned you gay or something. Which isn't true…is it? Because if it's true, I'm going to feel like an idiot."

"No, it's not true. I'd had feelings for Kurt for years, but I wasn't completely sure about my sexuality yet. I really did like you, Tina. But I think I was just suppressing my…gay sexual urges for a little bit."

"I understand," Tina said. "Next time, just be honest with me, Artie."  
"I will; I promise," Artie said.


	7. Hi, Mom

_**6 months later**_

"Happy Birthday, Artie!" Kurt trilled, flinging open Artie's locker to reveal the decorations he'd put in there early that morning.

"Aww, thanks, honey," Artie said, admiring the streamers and confetti that Kurt had strewn artistically throughout his locker.

"Anything for you, darling," Kurt said, kissing his boyfriend on the cheek. "Besides," Kurt whispered hotly in Artie's ear. "Your big present comes later tonight."

Artie looked at Kurt in wonder. "You mean…?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," Kurt said with a gleam in his eye. Just then, Dave Karofksy walked up to the happy couple.

"How are my little pansies today?" he asked with a smirk.

"Shove off, Karofsky," Artie said.

"Oh yeah? And what're you going to do about it, you gay cripple?"

He turned towards Kurt. "And you, Madonna Junior. You gonna fuck your little boyfriend tonight?" Kurt could hardly breathe. Karofksy always terrified him.

Just then, Mercedes strode up. "You givin' my man Kurt trouble, Karofksy?"

"Yeah. What's it to you?"

"No one picks on my man, Dave."

"Well, I do," Karofksy huffed.

"Well, you do one more time, and you'll face the fury."

"Oh yeah?" Karofsky said. "You and what army?"

"This army," Mercedes said, spreading her arms out as the rest of the New Directions members assembled around her, forming a protective circle around Artie and Kurt.

Karofsky's eyes darted back and forth; he knew he was outnumbered. He gave one last leering glance towards the boys before stalking off down the hall.

"Are you okay, Kurt?" Mercedes asked.

"And you, Artie?" Tina asked.

"We're okay," they said in unison. "Now that you're here".

_**That night**_

Artie and Kurt were lying on Artie's bed this time, heavily making out. Before either of them knew it, both of their shirts were off and discarded somewhere on the floor.

"You work out?" Artie asked, admiring Kurt's perfectly sculpted body.

"Of course. I have to keep my body perfectly in shape and runway-ready at all times."

Artie moaned into Kurt's neck. "I love it."

Kurt's hand inched towards Artie's nether regions, curious. When a bulge formed in Artie's pants, he gasped. "Artie…you never told me…"

"Oh, yeah. My penis is fully functional. Isn't that weird?"

"It's awesome is what it is!"

In a few more minutes, they were both in their underwear, and it was getting hot and heavy on that small bed.

Artie moved his hand towards Kurt's crotch. Kurt shuddered and sat up straight.

"What's wrong?" Artie asked concernedly.

"I'm not ready for this…I thought I was, but after what Karofsky did to us in the hall today…I just can't do this."

Artie tried to conceal his disappointment, for Kurt's sake. "I understand," he said.

"Do you, really?" Kurt asked, getting heated. "Artie…no offense, but you've only been out for a few months. I've been out for years. I've been _tormented_ for years. You're new to this…you should be the one in this position. I should be the immune and confident one. But I'm not. I'm not confident at all with this stuff."

"And you don't think _I _haven't been tormented for being a 'cripple' for 8 years, Kurt? Because I have been, and you know I have. I know what it's like to be seen as different, as weird. This is only one more thing that's going to make me stronger."

Kurt sighed. "That's great for you, Artie. But it doesn't quite work that way for me." Kurt put his clothes back on. "I'm sorry, Artie. I'm just not ready to give myself to you yet."

"It's okay. Like I said before, I'll wait for you."

Kurt walked around the side of the bed and put his hand on Artie's shoulder. "I'm sorry that this hasn't been the best 16th birthday for you."

Artie put his hand over Kurt's. "Are you kidding? I have friends. I have singing. But most importantly, I have _you_."

Kurt swallowed. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Artie smiled.

Kurt leaned down to give him a quick kiss. "Happy birthday, Artie."

"Kurt, can we watch RENT?" Artie asked all of a sudden.

Kurt was taken aback. Artie usually never asked to watch a movie musical, but who was Kurt to argue with that request? "Sure!" he said, popping it right into the DVD player. He snuggled in next to his boyfriend, bringing up a blanket to cover both of them.

After "Over the Moon", Artie turned to Kurt. "You know what I just realized?"

"Hmmm?" said Kurt, absently.

"You remind me of Maureen."

"What's THAT supposed to mean?" Kurt said, fighting back a smile.

"You're my little drama queen," Artie said, nuzzling his nose against Kurt's.

"Does that mean you're Joanne?" Kurt whispered against Artie's lips.

"You bet it does…honeybear."

"Kiss, pookie," Kurt said with a giggle.

Later that night, the two boys were lying in Artie's bed, snuggling and spooning each other. Kurt ran his hand through Artie's hair, and whispered soft to him. "Will you do something for me?" he asked.

"Anything for you, love," Artie whispered back.

"Will you go with me to visit Mom tomorrow? I want to tell her about us. And I want you to be there when I tell her."

"Of course I will," Artie said.

_**The next afternoon**_

Kurt pushed Artie's chair through the hilly cemetery. The sun was warm on their faces, and a gentle breeze made the grass bend and blow, sending the sweet grassy smell through everyone's noses. A bouquet of lilacs, Raina's favorite flowers, was sitting on Artie's lap. The day was as bright and clear as could be. Kurt rolled Artie up to the place where his mother was buried, and Artie shuddered, thinking that he could've been in that cold grave, instead of Kurt's mother. Kurt parked Artie's chair in front of his mother's headstone while Artie gently laid the flowers down.

"Hi, Mom," Kurt said softly, moving to stand next to Artie. "Look who I brought with me," he grinned, taking one of Artie's hands.

"Hi, Raina," Artie whispered.

"Mom, remember how I told you that I loved Artie, but I didn't think he loved me back? Well, it turns out that he did. We've been dating for the past six months. We're in love, Mom. We really are. I brought him here with me, so we could tell you together." Kurt prodded Artie to say something.

"It's true, Raina. I love your son. I won't ever hurt him, and I can promise you this. He's my world now, and I'd be lying if I said this weren't one hundred percent true. He's an amazing person with such a big, kind heart. He's gentle and true, just as you were. I see so much of you in him." Kurt felt a tear roll down his cheek, but did not move to brush it away. Artie continued. "You must be so proud of him. I know I certainly am. The past few weeks…months…years…have been really hard for Kurt, but he always manages to wear a bright smile even when his heart is breaking on the inside. He's the best thing that's ever happened to him. I guess what I'm trying to say is…thanks, Raina. Thanks for bringing him to the park that day we met. Thanks for bringing this boy into the world." Kurt was full-on crying by now, tears streaming down his face and plopping onto the soft soil beneath his feet. Artie squeezed his hand tightly.

"I love you, Mom," Kurt choked out. "I wish you were here right now. I wish you were here to give me advice on everything. I wish you were here to talk to about dating and sex and all that stuff. I can't talk to Dad about anything. I wish…" he broke off. "I just wish you were here, Mom. To see how Artie and I are like today."

"She _is_ here, Kurt," Artie whispered. "She's been watching over you since she left, baby. She's always been watching you, and me, and your dad, and everyone."

Kurt stiffened. "You know I don't believe in Heaven, Artie."

"I know," Artie said simply. "But think of her as your guardian angel." Suddenly, Kurt felt a hand on his shoulder, if only for a moment. He gasped.

"What is it?" Artie asked, concerned.

"She's here," Kurt whispered. "I felt her."

"I told you she was here," Artie said, matter-of-factly.

"I believe you now," Kurt said. "She's always been there over my shoulder, hasn't she?"

Artie nodded. "Yes, she has."

Kurt smiled at his boyfriend. "Can you feel her, too?"

"Yes," Artie said. "Whenever I'm with you."

Kurt smiled again. "Maybe she _is_ my guardian angel after all…" He turned back to his mother's headstone. "Thanks, Mom," he said in a murmur. "I love you so much." He turned to Artie. "Do you mind giving me a moment alone with her?"

"No, of course."

Kurt chuckled. "Then why aren't you moving?"

Artie gave Kurt a Look. "You put the brakes on my chair. I _can't_ move, silly."

"Oh, right," Kurt said, quickly undoing the brakes and sending Artie rolling on his way.

He turned to his mom's grave once again. "Sorry about that, Mom. So…what do you think? Are you really proud of me, like Artie said? Do you approve of us going out?" A soft breeze that tousled his hair didn't need to tell him her answer; he knew.


	8. Hi, I'm Kummel Hurt

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Journey.**

**Note: And...enter Blaine! Also, this is the first showing that Artie and Kurt's relationship is not perfect.**

**Note2: Where are all my reviews? Please, please review!**

_**Two months later**_

Kurt was enjoying a leisurely snack break at Starbucks. Kurt loved Starbucks; he lived for their lattes and chocolate biscottis. He sat alone, sipping his steaming latte and gazing out the window. Artie was at a doctor's appointment, but was meeting him there shortly. All was well in the world.

That's when Kurt saw _him_: the most gorgeous guy that Kurt had ever seen. He wore a school uniform that Kurt did not recognize, but he enjoyed the blazer-and-pants combination, anyway. His hair was brown and styled just the way Kurt loved it, and he was just the right height for Kurt to be able to snuggle up to him. Kurt couldn't help but to stare at this beautiful stranger and to wonder what his name was.

He didn't have to wonder for long.

The gorgeous guy approached. "Hey, is this seat taken? Everywhere else is full."

"No, sure, go right ahead," Kurt said breathlessly.

"Thanks," the boy said. "Ahh," he said, sitting down and putting his coffee down on the table. "My name's Blaine, by the way. Blaine Anderson."

"I'm Kummel Hurt…err, Kurt Hummel!" Kurt said nervously, and then mentally slapped himself across the face. _Kummel Hurt? Really? Smooth move, Kurt. _

Blaine chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Kurt Hummel."

Kurt looked down. "So where do you go to school? I don't think I've ever seen you around before. And I think I'd remember. If I'd seen you around before, I mean."

"I just transferred to Dalton Academy," Blaine said. "Hence, the uniform."

"Dalton? Isn't that the all-boys' school?" Kurt asked with a gleam in his eye.

"Yep," Blaine said. "And you? Where does Kurt Hummel go to school?"

Kurt giggled. He was _loving_ how Blaine called him by his full name. "I go to McKinley High. In Lima. You know. The one with the terrible football team?"

Blaine sat back and laughed. "I know what you mean. I love football."

Kurt looked disappointed. "Really? I love…scarves?" he offered.

"Is that an Hermés scarf you happen to be wearing?" Blaine asked. Kurt's heart began to race. _Finally, a boy who understood fashion! And he recognized designers! _

"It most certainly is," Kurt said, wiggling excitedly in his seat. Blaine leaned over to finger the silky fabric. Kurt's heart skipped several beats.

"I like it," Blaine said.

"T…tha…_merci_," Kurt finally spat out.

"Oh, so you speak French?" Blaine asked. "What a coincidence. _Moi aussi_."

"I hope you don't mind me asking this," Blaine started. "Considering that we just met and all, but…do you happen to be gay?"

Kurt's mouth went dry. "Yes," he said, sputtering.

"Thought so. My gaydar went wild as soon as I walked through the door. I bat for the other side, too."

_Oh my God!_ Kurt thought. _He's gorgeous AND he's gay? _

"Oh really?" Kurt said, trying to be nonchalant.

"Yep," Blaine replied. "I love boys." He moved his hand closer to Kurt's. Kurt's breath hitched once more. "So tell me, Kurt Hummel. What are your hobbies?"

"I'm, uh, in glee club," he said quietly, hoping Blaine wouldn't find that incredibly lame.

Blaine laughed.

"Oh no, you think I'm terribly loserish now, don't you?" Kurt said, burying his face in his hands.

"No," Blaine said, still laughing. "I'm in glee club, too!"

"REALLY?" Kurt said, perhaps a little too loud, looking up now.

"I'm a proud Warbler," Blaine said. "There's nothing to be ashamed about," he said, taking Kurt's hand gently. He gazed into Kurt's eyes, and Kurt felt a tingle of electricity run up his spine. _He's holding my hand!_

Just then, the room got much colder.

"So who's your new friend, Kurt?" a familiar voice asked. _Artie!_

Kurt jumped. "Artie! Oh, um, this is my friend Blaine…"

Blaine stuck out his hand for a handshake. "Pleased to meet you."

Artie ignored him. "Who is he?" he demanded.

"We just met," Kurt tried to explain.

"Who's your friend, Kurt Hummel?" Blaine interrupted.

"He's…"

"I'm his boyfriend," Artie said bluntly. Blaine looked like he'd been stung.

"Boyfriend?" Blaine asked. "You didn't mention a boyfriend."

"I…" Kurt started.

"Save it," Artie stopped him. "I don't want to hear it. I rolled down 20 blocks in the freezing cold to have a nice date with you, and you're holding hands with some _other boy_ you _JUST MET!_" he screamed, voice filled with venom.

Kurt broke down in hysterics. "Artie, please, don't do this!"

But it was too late. Artie was already rolling out the door.

Kurt stood there, shaking like a leaf in the autumn wind. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he bolted for the bathroom, leaving his latte half-drunk on the table. He locked himself in a stall and sat on the toilet seat, head in his hands, sobbing into his palms. He was only vaguely aware of the bathroom door opening and closing.

"Kurt, are you in here?" a semi-familiar voice called out. "It's me, Blaine."

"I'm here," Kurt's voice wavered.

"Are you okay? Please, open the door," Blaine begged. Kurt leaned forward and undid the latch that held the door closed. He sat back down and buried his face back in his hands. He couldn't bear to look at Blaine's face.

Blaine squatted down so that he was eye level with Kurt. "Why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend?" he whispered gently.

Kurt only began to cry again, harder this time. Blaine put a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. It's not generally a first-conversation topic. I didn't ask, so you didn't answer. I understand that."

"He's never going to talk to me again," Kurt sobbed.

"Oh, stop being a drama queen," Blaine admonished him. "You just need to explain what happened. If you want to, I'll explain to him that I was the one who made the move, not you." Kurt didn't answer. Blaine rummaged around in his bag and found a pen and paper. "Look. Here's my number. Call me, or text." Kurt took the paper wordlessly.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Blaine asked seriously.

"Yeah," Kurt said. "Thanks for…you know…"

Blaine waved him off. "No problem." And with that, Blaine left the bathroom, leaving Kurt sitting there to ponder his options. Should he have Blaine explain what had happened? Should he try to explain it himself?

The answer was obvious.

Kurt would have to serenade Artie to get him back.

Kurt stood up and washed his face in cold water to get rid of the "I-just-sobbed-my-eyes-out" look. He faced the mirror and smiled. He could do this.

_**Later that night**_

Kurt took a deep breath, and then rang the Abrams's doorbell. Betty answered after a few moments and smiled.

"Hi, Kurt, sweetie. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Betty. Where's Artie?"

"He's in his room, dear. Go on in."

"Thanks, Betty."

Kurt walked in the house and made his way to Artie's room. He took another deep, calming breath, and then knocked on the door.

"Artie? It's me…Kurt…can I come in?"

There was no answer.

"Please, Artie, let me in. Hear what I have to say. Just give me 5 minutes, and if you want to after, you can tell me to leave. I just want 5 minutes."

"Fine. Door's open," came the reply. Artie's voice was flat and emotionless. Kurt walked in and found Artie staring out the window with a blank expression on his face.

"You have 5 minutes. Starting now. Go."

Kurt closed the door and sat on the bed. "I'm not going to tell you what happened."

"Then what are you going to do?" Artie asked, not looking at Kurt.

"I'm going to tell you how I feel. In my own…special way…"

"Then do so. 4 minutes," Artie said clearly upset.

Kurt took a breath, and then began to sing.

_Highway run  
Into the midnight sun  
Wheels go round and round  
You're on my mind  
Restless hearts  
Sleep alone tonight  
Sending all my love  
Along the wire_

Artie turned to face Kurt. "Kurt…"

Kurt ignored him and kept going:

_They say that the road  
Ain't no place to start a family  
Right down the line  
It's been you and me  
And lovin' a music man  
Ain't always what it's supposed to be  
Oh, boy, you stand by me  
I'm forever yours  
Faithfully_

Artie didn't quite know what to think. Here was Kurt, telling him that he loved him, yet he had just cheated on him…hadn't he?

_Circus life  
Under the big top world  
We all need the clowns  
To make us smile  
Through space and time  
Always another show  
Wondering where I am  
Lost without you_

Artie was now beginning to wonder if he had been overreacting. Girls who were friends held hands all the time, so why not guys who were friends, too? Still…

Kurt took a wavering breath before continuing the song; he couldn't quite read Artie's body language or face, and he was beginning to worry.

_And being apart  
Ain't easy on this love affair  
Two strangers learn to fall in love again  
I get the joy of rediscovering you  
Oh, boy, you stand by me  
I'm forever yours  
Faithfully_

Artie's anger was melting away by this point. In fact, his anger was turning into love and appreciation for his boyfriend. _His boyfriend!_ who was serenading him _in his room!_

Kurt was very close to crying at this point, more afraid than ever of losing his boyfriend, the love of his life. He poured all of this emotion into the final bits of the song.

_Whooa, oh-oh-ooh  
Whooa, oh-oh-ooh, oh  
Whooa, oh-oh-oh, oh-whoooooa-oh  
Faithfully_

_I'm still yours  
I'm forever yours  
Ever yours  
Faithfully_

Artie rolled over to Kurt. "Kurt…is that true?"

Kurt wiped his tears away. "Is what true?"

"Are you forever mine, faithfully?'

"Yes," Kurt whispered. "I am."

Artie kissed Kurt oh-so lightly; it felt like a butterfly's brush against Kurt's lips.

"So am I forgiven?" Kurt asked, trembling.

"Not quite yet," Artie said, being frank. "I'd like to tell me what happened," he said calmly; after all, no need to be mad after what Kurt had just done for him.

"Okay," Kurt said, taking in yet another deep breath (thank goodness for all those Yoga classes he'd taken; they'd kept him in shape and taught him deep cleansing breaths). "I was sitting in Starbucks, waiting for you to come from your appointment. And all of the tables were full; there was only one seat free, and I'd been saving it for you…or, well, for where your chair would go. Blaine came up and wondered if he could grab the seat, and I said yes, figuring he could just leave when you got there, if he hadn't already. We started talking about school and glee club…see, he's in the glee club at Dalton Academy…and he grabbed my hand. And that's all that happened, Artie, I swear."

"So he made a move on you, not the other way around?"

"Yes," Kurt said. Artie looked carefully into Kurt's eyes. He knew when Kurt was lying, because Kurt tended to not make eye contact when he lied (which was rarely, to begin with), but Kurt stared right back at Artie, eyes filled with tears.

"I believe you, darling," Artie said, squeezing Kurt's hand. Kurt's tears began to flow freely now. "What's wrong, Kurt?" Artie asked, concerned.

"I thought I was going to lose you!" Kurt said, half-laughing, half-crying.

Artie rolled his eyes. "As if. You're such a drama queen, Kurt Elizabeth Hummel."

"So I've been told," Kurt chuckled. "So I've been told."

"I love you, Kurt."

"I love you, too, Artie."


	9. I Wanna Hold Your Hand

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or the Beatles.**

**Note: A nice long one for you! Blaine comes back and drama ensues. So what happens when Kurt betrays Artie? What happens when Finn's the only one ****who can fix this? You'll just have to read and see!**

_**One month later**_

Artie rolled up to Kurt in the hall after school. "So are we still on for our date tonight?"

"Ah, crap, Artie. I totally forgot that I had plans with Mercedes tonight!"

"Oh," Artie looked taken aback. "What're you two up to?"

"Facials, mani-pedis, and I'm highlighting Mercy's hair. Just a girly spa night, is all."

"Ah, I see," Artie said. "Well, tomorrow night then?"

"Of course," Kurt smiled.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then," Artie said, rolling off to meet his dad.

Kurt let out a sigh of relief and opened his locker, pulling out his books. Mercedes was on the other side of his locker when he closed the door, making him jump.

"God, Mercy, you're going to give me early grey hairs if you keep doing that!"

"Sorry, Kurtie. I just wanted to see if we were still having our girl's night tonight."

"Oh, crap, Mercy. I completely forgot that I have a date with Artie tonight."

"Oh," Mercedes said. "Well, that's okay. You two lovebirds have your fun," she winked and gave her friend a squeeze.

"We will, thanks," Kurt said, squeezing her back and crossing his fingers. As soon as Mercedes left him, Kurt looked up to the sky and clasped his hands together.

"Oh almighty Marc Jacobs gods, please don't let me get caught."

With that, his cell phone rang, Madonna's "Like a Prayer" singing to him. Kurt smiled. He knew exactly who was texting him. He opened his phone to read the message.

**WarBler: **R we on 2nite?

**KurtLizH: **You bet

Kurt closed his phone and smiled to himself. Hopefully, this would go off without a hitch, and he could get away with this one. Because, Heaven knows, the last time went disastrously, and he didn't want a repeat of that incident.

_**That night**_

Artie rolled into the movie theater, alone. If he couldn't go on date night with his boyfriend, at least he could enjoy a movie on his own. He'd been dying to see this one, anyway, and he knew that he'd never have been able to drag Kurt to this one, seeing as how Kurt loathed sci/fi movies. He rolled himself into the wheelchair-accessible space and settled in to watch the previews.

"Artie?" a voice sounded from his right.

Artie looked up. "Mercedes?"

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, sounding confused. "Where's Kurt?"

"I thought he was with you…he told me he had to cancel our date because you two were having a 'spa night'," Artie said, clearly very confused and a bit suspicious.

"Wait," Mercedes said, holding up her hand. "He told _me_ that he had to cancel on his date with _me_ because he had a date with _you_."

Artie looked right at Mercedes. "He said that?"

Mercedes nodded. "I have a feeling our man Kurt isn't telling us everything," she said.

Artie looked furious. "He told me that he would be faithful after the…"

"Starbucks Incident?" Mercedes finished for him.

Artie looked pained. "Yes. That."

"Come on, sweater boy," Mercedes said, grabbing hold of Artie's chair. "Let's go get to the bottom of this, before either of us gets hurt."

Meanwhile…

"Oh, Blaine, I just had the best time!" Kurt exclaimed as he and Blaine exited the theater, where they'd just seen _The Sound of Music_ together.

"I'm glad you did," Blaine said.

"How'd you get the best seats in the house, anyway?" Kurt asked. "They were so good!"

"As a Warbler, you have these sorts of connections," Blaine said with a shrug. "It was nothing, really. I just had to call the theater, tell them I needed two tickets, and bam!"

Kurt laughed. "I wish I had those sorts of connections. I could totally get used to this sort of lifestyle; nice dinner, house seats to a musical, a handsome date…" he blushed on those last few words.

Blaine chuckled. "Handsome date, eh?"

Kurt flushed harder. "Err…uhh…" he was suddenly aware of how close Blaine was to him…too close, too close…

Before he knew it, though, Blaine's lips were on him. "Mmmfffghhh!" Kurt's voice was muffled. His body went limp and he relaxed into the kiss, which was over almost as fast as it started. He stood there, shocked.

"Fuck, Kurt, I'm so sorry," Blaine said. "I'm so sorry."

"So am I," said a new voice behind Kurt. Kurt whirled around to face Mercedes…and Artie.

"Looks like we found him, Artie. And his _friend_."

"Blaine," Artie said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, so this is that pretty boy rival glee clubber that was part of the Starbucks Incident?" Mercedes said. "Well then. I guess this explains things, doesn't it?"

Kurt rushed to explain. "It's not what it looks like, Artie!"

"Not what it looks like? It _looks like_ you were kissing Blaine here."

"It was an innocent kiss, Artie!" Kurt exclaimed.

"I'M YOUR **BOYFRIEND**!" Artie roared.

Blaine, sensing a smackdown, tried to back away.

"Oh don't you be tryin' to go nowhere, pretty boy," Mercedes called after him. Blaine backed up and stepped in front of Artie.

"Look, Artie…may I call you Artie?"

"Whatever."

"Artie…I kissed Kurt. It was my fault. He had nothing to do with it. I got a little carried away, is all. It was nothing."

Artie looked directly at Kurt. "It didn't look like nothing."

"It was, baby, it was!"

"Don't call me baby," Artie said coldly. "I don't even want to look at you right now." He rolled away, towards the warm glow of Mercedes' car, and away from his boyfriend.

"Kurt, I'm real disappointed in you," Mercedes said to Kurt. "Lying to me, now that's one thing. But lying to the boy who's been in love with you for three years…that's low, Kurt. I'm not bailing you out of this one, boo."

And she, too, left to go help Artie in the car.

Blaine put his hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Kurt, can we please talk about—''

"No," Kurt said, pulling away. "Why'd you KISS me, Blaine? You knew I have a boyfriend…had…you knew I wasn't single!"

"I'm sorry, Kurt, but I just couldn't help it! I did it because…"

"Because WHY?" Kurt yelled through his tears.

"Because I love you, that's why!" Blaine yelled back, now in tears himself, running off.

Kurt stood under the dimming theater marquee, shaking. Not this, not this…

Suddenly, the lights went out, both on the marquee, and in Kurt, leaving Kurt in the dark once again.

_**The next week**_

"Kurt, can I talk to you for a minute?" Mr. Schuester asked, noticing the distracted look on the boy's face.

"Sure," Kurt said hurriedly, following his teacher into his office.

"What's up, buddy? I noticed you've been distracted lately. Is everything okay at home?"

"Yes," Kurt said. "My dad's fine. He's slowly becoming more accepting of me."

"That's good," Mr. Schue said.

"Mr. Schue?" Kurt asked. "How did it feel when you cheated on Emma?"

Mr. Schue paused. "It felt terrible. Like I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I couldn't control what my body was doing at the time. Why, did you cheat on somebody, Kurt?"

Kurt looked away.

"Does this have anything to do with Artie?" Will pressed. Kurt nodded. "You cheated on him?" Will continued. Kurt shook his head viciously, but then slowly nodded.

"What happened, Kurt? Do you want to talk about it?" Mr. Schue asked gently. Kurt shook his head again, and then nodded again. He told Mr. Schue the whole story: how he'd lied to Artie so he wouldn't get jealous of Blaine again, how he'd lied to Mercedes to cover up, how Blaine had kissed him…even how he'd enjoyed the kiss.

"Looks like you're in a bit of a predicament, Kurt. Have you tried to explain to Artie what happened?"

"There's nothing to explain, Mr. Schue. Artie saw it happen. So did Mercedes."

Mr. Schue winced. He felt for the poor boy sitting before him. He'd been through something like this when he was Kurt's age, and he knew how bad it could be. He knew it had to be even harder, being gay, and having a crippled boyfriend.

"Have you talked to Blaine about why he kissed you?"

"He said it was because he loves me."

"Oh, God," Mr. Schue said. "I don't know what to say, Kurt. Maybe you should talk to Emma…uh, Miss Pillsbury about this?"

"No," Kurt said. "I just want Artie back!"

"Have you tried expressing your emotions through song to him?"

Kurt nodded. "The last time we fought like this. I serenaded him with Journey's 'Faithfully'. And it worked, big-time. But this time…I don't think it'll be so easy."

"Give it time, Kurt," Will said. "He'll come around."

"I hope so," Kurt said, standing up. "Or else I'll have nothing to live for." And with that, he walked out the door and down the hall to lock himself in the bathroom stall again. He spent most of his time crying in there these days, or crying in his room. Tears never seemed to stop flowing from his eyes, no matter how much he wanted them to. He couldn't focus in school, he didn't want to eat…he even was repeating outfits!

"Silly boy," he reprimanded himself, drying his eyes with a piece of toilet paper. There was a knock on the stall door.

"Kurt?"

Kurt jumped. "Finn?" he called, surprised.

"Yeah, it's me. Open up."

Kurt did so.

"You okay, man? I saw you run in here as I was coming out of practice, and you looked upset. And don't think I don't hear you crying late at night when I get up to go to the bathroom or to grab a late night snack." Finn and his mom were living with Kurt and Burt; Finn's mom and Burt were dating. "Besides," Finn continued. "You've worn that outfit twice this week, so I know something's seriously wrong. What is it?"

Finn dared himself to look his former crush in the eye. "I cheated on Artie."

"Shit," Finn swore. "That's why he's been so off lately."

"What do you mean?" Kurt said in a rush. "Off with what?"

"Football," Finn said simply. "He's been dropping passes and walking…rolling, I mean…around with that beat-up dog expression on his face."

"Oh," Kurt said, slumping against the sinks.

"So you cheated on him, eh? What's his name?"

"Blaine," Kurt said, with a sigh. "His name is Blaine. He goes to Dalton Academy."

"You mean that all-boys school the next town over?" Kurt nodded. "Yikes."

"What would you do if Rachel cheated on you?" Kurt asked.

"I'd dump her," Finn said bluntly. Going off Kurt's horrified expression, he quickly tried to cover. "Artie didn't _dump_ you, did he?"

"Not officially," Kurt said, slumping down to the floor now.

"Then there's still time," Finn said, hoisting Kurt to his feet.

"Hey, watch the jacket! It's vintage," Kurt scolded.

Finn smiled. "Now that sounds like the Kurt I know." He took a good look at his friend. "We're gonna get him back. And I have a plan on how to do it."

Kurt's phone vibrated at that moment. "Hold that thought," he said, holding his pointer finger up at Finn, and then turning to check his texts.

**WarBler:** Can't we talk about this?

Finn craned his neck to see the screen. "Warbler?"

"Blaine," Kurt said in a whisper.

Finn's eyes lit up. "Give me that phone."

Kurt handed over the phone, eyes wide in panic. "What're you going to do?"

"You'll see," Finn said, typing away.

**KurtLizH: **Meet me at Starbucks in 20

Finn pressed "send" before Kurt could even react.

"WHAT?" Kurt yelled. But it was too late. Finn handed Kurt's phone back.

"And now for the next phase," Finn said, producing his own phone.

**QBackFinn: **Meet me at Starbucks in 20

"Now we wait," Finn said. Moments later, both phones vibrated.

**WarBler: **U got it

**Wheels: **Okay, see you there

"Phases one, two, and three complete," Finn said, smirking.

"And what, pray tell, is phase four?" Kurt said exasperatedly, pushing his bangs aside.

"What's phase four? Phase four is getting you and Artie back to the happy lovebird state that you two belong in."

_**20 minutes later**_

Kurt was sitting next to Finn at Starbucks, feeling like he was about to throw up. He began bouncing his legs up and down, a nervous habit of his.

"Chill, man. Everything's gonna work out. Trust me," Finn tried to reassure him.

Kurt forced a chuckle. "'Trust me.' Famous last words."

The bell above the door went off, and Blaine strolled in, followed by Artie. Once the two realized they'd been set up, they started to leave.

"Guys, wait," Finn called out to them. "Kurt wants to talk to both of you."

Blaine went to the table without a second thought. Artie faced the door for a moment or two, before turning around and following Blaine to the table. He pulled up so that he was facing Kurt directly. Blaine slid in next to him, facing Finn.

"Well?" Artie said, his voice full of hostility.

"Go on," Finn prodded Kurt.

"Artie, I'm so sorry for what happened. I really, really am."

No response.

"I didn't want to kiss Blaine…it just happened…you can understand that, can't you?"

No response again.

Blaine turned towards Artie. "Kurt's telling the truth, you know. _I_ kissed _him_. I was way out of line, and I know that."

Artie glared angrily at Kurt. "You still let him kiss you," he said. "Don't deny that."

"I won't deny it," Kurt said, looking at a spot somewhere above Artie's head, not able to bring himself to look into Artie's hurt-filled eyes. "I let him kiss me."

"Why'd you let me kiss you?" Blaine asked quietly.

"I don't know," Kurt replied earnestly. "Heat of the moment, I guess."

"So do you love me or not?" Artie asked. "Because if you don't, then I'll just get out of your life and let you and Blaine be happy together."

"I do love you, Artie, more than anything," Kurt whispered.

"Then prove it. Right now."

Kurt's eyes widened, looking to Finn for help. Finn stood up. "Hey, everyone, listen up! My friend Kurt has something he'd like to say to all of you!"

Kurt stood up and took a breath. "Actually, I'd like to sing it, if that's okay."

No response from Artie; only a "be my guest" type of gesture.

_Oh yeah, I'll tell you something  
I think you'll understand  
When I say that something  
I wanna hold your hand  
I wanna hold your hand  
I wanna hold your hand_

Finn's eyes widened; Kurt had serious guts to be able to do this in front of a crowded Starbucks in the middle of the afternoon. He gave a quick slide glance to Artie to see if he could read his expression; he couldn't.

_Oh, please, say to me  
You'll let me be your man  
And please, say to me  
You'll let me hold your hand  
Now let me hold your hand  
I wanna hold your hand_

Blaine looked like he'd been kicked in the stomach, and Finn didn't fail to notice. Finn knew he'd have to be taking this hard; watching his crush sing a romantic song to another guy. Not that Finn knew too much about gay romances, but he figured they couldn't be too different from straight romances.

_And when I touch you I feel happy, inside  
It's such a feeling  
That, my love  
I can't hide  
I can't hide  
I can't hide_

Finn looked back and forth between Artie and Blaine. Blaine was the one crying, while Artie sat there with a stony expression on his face. Yet Finn couldn't help but to notice that Artie was slowly beginning to cave in. Stealing a glance now at Kurt, Finn saw the tears start to come hard and fast.

_Yeah you, got that something  
I think you'll understand  
When I say that something  
I wanna hold your hand  
I wanna hold your hand  
I wanna hold your hand_

The café burst into applause, and Kurt reached his hand out to Artie. Artie took it, and Finn noticed the tear that rolled down Blaine's face. Was it a happy tear, or was it a sad tear? Finn didn't have to wonder for long; as the newly reunited couple embraced, Blaine ran to the men's room. Finn clapped Kurt on the shoulder and quickly followed Blaine.

Artie looked into Kurt's tear-filled eyes. "I forgive you, Kurt."

Kurt's tears overflowed. "But I messed up, Artie!"

"No relationship is perfect," Artie whispered. "Including this one. I have some jealously problems and insecurities. I promise you, Kurt, I'll work on them. But we have to work on this together, okay?"

"Okay," Kurt smiled weakly. It was Artie's turn to kiss Kurt's tears away.

_**Meanwhile…**_

"Hey dude, are you okay?" Finn asked Blaine, who was standing in front of the mirror.

"I just had my heart trampled on. Do I look like I'm okay?"

"I know what that's like," Finn said.

"Oh, do you now? I'll bet you're the all-star football player that gets the cheerleader girlfriend, right? Oh, I don't have to guess that. Kurt told me all about _you_."

"My best friend got my girlfriend pregnant," Finn said after a deadbeat.

Blaine's eyes widened. "No kiddin'?"

"Yep," Finn said. "Blaine…I can call you Blaine, right?"

"I suppose," Blaine said.

"Okay. Blaine. Look, Kurt loves Artie. Artie loves Kurt. It's as simple as that."

"How long?"

"How long what?"

"How long have they been in love?"

"Always, I suppose. They've been best friends since they were 4. They were each other's firsts. First best friend, first kiss, first relationship…"

Blaine turned to Finn. "They haven't had sex, have they?"

"No," Finn said. "I would've read about it in Kurt's diary."

"…you read Kurt's diary?"

"He left it on the back of the toilet. We live together, don't forget."

"Ah," Blaine said.

"Anyway, man, they're in love. You just gotta move on. You can be friends with Kurt and all, I'm sure he'd love a friend to go shopping with and all that, but that's all you can be to him. A friend. Nothing more, nothing less."

Blaine looked away.

Finn put his hand on Blaine's shoulder. "Look, I know it's hard. But you have to let go."

"I know," Blaine said. He chuckled bitterly. "I've been here before."

Just then, the door opened, and Kurt walked in, pushing Artie in front of him.

"Is everything good again?" Finn asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yep," Artie said with a smile. He rolled up to Blaine and stuck out a hand. "We cool?"

Blaine looked at Artie's hand and smiled. "Yeah, we're cool." They shook on it.

"So, chai lattes on me!" Kurt trilled, clapping his hands together. Finn, sensing that Kurt and Blaine needed a moment, rolled Artie out of the bathroom and to the order counter.

"So what about us?" Blaine asked, putting his hands nervously in his pockets.

"What about us?" Kurt replied.

"Are we…friends?"

Kurt paused and put a finger to his chin, as if he were contemplating something major.

"Yes," he said, after several moments. "We're friends."

The two hugged it out before joining the other boys for celebratory drinks.

**Note2: You might question Kurt's "cheating". To Kurt, putting his lips on another boy—who is not family—is cheating, especially because Kurt enjoyed the kiss and did not try to stop Blaine. So, to Kurt, this is cheating. **


	10. Kurt's 17th

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee!**

**Note: HARD T rating for part of this chapter! Just a warning! **

_****__****_

One month later

Kurt found himself blindfolded as soon as he walked into the building.

"What the hell?" He heard a familiar laugh. "Mercedes, this isn't funny!"

"Oh hush, birthday boy. Live a little!"

Kurt sighed. "Fine. But if you mess up my hair, you're fixing it!"

Mercedes led Kurt down the hall to the choir room. Kurt could hear whispers, and knew something was up.

"Mercy, if you guys are throwing me a surprise party, I'll kill you."

Mercedes untied the blindfold, and Kurt blinked in the bright, harsh lights.

"Surprise!" The glee club cried out.

Kurt looked around the room, which was decorated to the nines.

"Guys, I thought I told you: no surprise parties!"

"Kurt, you're turning 17 today! We couldn't _not_ throw you a party," Rachel explained.

"Besides, someone special planned it," Finn said, smiling.

"Oh, really?" Kurt asked, amused and knowing just who this was.

"Yep," Tina said, moving aside to reveal Artie.

"Happy birthday, baby," Artie said, rolling forward to kiss Kurt.

"Awww," the club chorused.

"Should we give Kurt his present now?" Mr. Schuester asked.

Mercedes handed Kurt a brightly-wrapped package. "From all of us," she said.

Kurt unwrapped it excitedly. "No. Way. You guys did NOT get me a personally autographed poster of Madonna from the 'Vogue' music video!"

"Mr. Schue knows a guy who knows a guy who knows Madonna's agent," Rachel explained. "He told her what a big fan you are, and she was happy to do that for you."

Kurt couldn't even begin to explain his gratitude at the moment; he truly had the best friends in the world. "Thanks so much, guys. You've already made this day perfect, and it's only," he quickly checked the clock. "Eight in the morning!" The group enveloped him in a group hug.

"Your chariot awaits," Artie said, gesturing to his chair.

"Wha…what?" Kurt asked, still in shock from the Madonna poster.

"You don't have to lift a finger—or a foot—today," Artie explained.

"Thanks, honey," Kurt said, smiling. "But are you sure…?"

"Of course," Artie said. "It's part 1 of my gift to you today."

"Okay," Kurt said, settling himself on Artie's lap, and enjoying his chauffer service to first period. "You know, you really are the best boyfriend in the world."

"I know," Artie said, blushing and smiling. Kurt flung his arms around his boyfriend and planted a big smooch on his lips, right in the middle of the hall.

The two boys had been going to couples therapy ever since their big fight over Blaine. They'd been able to address their problems of reckless flirting (Kurt) and jealously (Artie) with the help of a very nice therapist.

They hadn't fought since.

_**That night**_

"So what's part 2 of this amazing, incredible gift from you to me?" Kurt asked, bouncing on his bed excitedly.

"You'll see," Artie said with a mischievous grin. He rolled over to the door and made sure it was securely locked. Not that it mattered; Burt and Carole were on a date, and Finn with out with Rachel. Artie rolled back to Kurt's bed, looking expectantly.

"Oh!" Kurt exclaimed, quickly getting up to help his boyfriend into the bed.

Once the two were settled, Kurt gently pulled Artie on top of him.

"What's this all about?" Artie giggled, feeling naughty.

"I'm always on top. I wanna know what it's like being on bottom this time."

"Perfect," Artie purred, nuzzling his nose into Kurt's neck. He left a trail of kisses from Kurt's neck up to his lips. Kurt moaned, turned on by this new position of being dominated instead of being the dominatrix of the couple. The kisses came faster, hotter, and heavier. Kurt was only vaguely aware of the tightening in his pants. Artie looked down. "Turned on, are we?"

"Hell yes," Kurt said, moaning as Artie's hand traveled down his chest, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

"Is it possible that you're even hotter than before?" Artie said, staring at Kurt's abs.

"I get better looking every day," Kurt whispered. "Just like Madonna."

Artie giggled, sliding Kurt's shirt off his arms and tossing it aside. Kurt reached up and carefully pulled off Artie's shirt.

"I'm so glad you didn't wear suspenders today, love," he said.

"So am I," Artie said, shivering in the cold.

"Aw, are you cold, baby?" Kurt asked playfully. He pulled Artie closer and snuggled him to his chest.

"How are you so warm?" Artie asked, basking in the warmth that was his lover.

"I'm a hot blooded mammal," Kurt said with a playful growl. He grabbed the back of Artie's head, sending Artie's lips crashing down upon his own, sticking his tongue into Artie's mouth. It was Artie's turn to moan. He felt his own pants get tight, but knew that this night was about Kurt. With that, he fumbled to get Kurt's pants undone.  
"Artie…what are…?" Kurt asked, in a confused daze.

"Shh. Just lay back and enjoy," Artie said. "This night is all about you, baby."

Kurt obeyed, lying back against the fluffy goose pillows and sighing as Artie unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. He felt himself get hotter and hotter as Artie's hand traveled down south, further and further down still. Artie's hand quickly dipped into Kurt's underwear, pulling out Kurt's full erection. Kurt gasped. "Artie!"

Artie gasped in turn. "Kurt…you're so…wow…"

Kurt blushed. "Big? Umm…well…"

Artie didn't even respond. He just pushed himself down with his arms and started going down on Kurt.

"Oh!" Kurt cried out in surprise. He'd read about blowjobs, but he never expected that they'd feel _this_ good. It just felt _so_ good, so _very_ good…he lay back and enjoyed. Artie bobbed his head up and down the length of Kurt's erection, enjoying this almost as much as Kurt was. He loved that Kurt was finally letting go and giving himself over to pleasure, that Kurt was his, finally his.

"Oh…oh…ARTIE!" Kurt yelled, feeling his orgasm wash over him, sending spasms throughout his whole body, creating an entirely new and amazing sensation. He squirted his load into Artie's awaiting mouth; Artie chose to swallow for this first time, just to try it. Kurt lay back, breathing heavily.

"That…that was…"

"Amazing," Artie finished, breathing just as heavily.

"Yes," Kurt whispered.

"Happy birthday, Kurt."

"Happy birthday to me, indeed," Kurt smiled.

"I love you," Artie said, crawling up to Kurt's face to kiss him gently.

"I love you, too," Kurt said, starting to cry.

"Why are you crying?" Artie asked.

"Because I just love you so much," Kurt said, sniffling, feeling silly.

"Enough for this?" Artie said, rummaging around in his pants pocket.

"What's that? Is that a…IS THAT A JEWELERY BOX?" Kurt screeched.

Artie opened the small box. "It's a promise ring," he said, blushing.

"It's beautiful," Kurt breathed. And it was; it had a small circle of diamonds on it, and engraved on the inside were the words "love knows no boundaries. KEH & AQA"

"Will you accept this ring, Kurt Elizabeth Hummel?" Artie asked. "Will you promise yourself to me?"

"I, I absolutely accept!" Kurt cried out, and Artie put the ring on Kurt's finger.

_**The next day**_

Kurt ran up to Mercedes in the hall. "Notice anything new?" he said, holding up his hand.

"…you switched moisturizers?" Mercedes asked.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Noooo…"

"Kurt…is that a…is that a RING?" Mercedes screeched, her eyes wide.

"YES!" Kurt yelled. "He liked it so he put a ring on it!" He did a little happy dance.

"That's not an _engagement_ ring, is it?" Mercedes asked in wonder, examining the beautiful diamond ring.

"No," Kurt said. "It's just a promise ring. But isn't it lovely?"

"It's gorgeous," Mercedes admitted. They both paused.

"I GOT A RING!" Kurt cried happily.

"YOU GOT A RING!" Mercedes cried back. The two hugged and squealed.

"What's going on?" Tina asked, walking up, Mike in tow.

"Artie gave Kurt a ring!" Mercedes burst out.

"A promise ring," Kurt added quickly.

"…that's nice, Kurt," Tina said. She turned to Mike. "Why didn't you give _me_ a ring for my birthday?" she demanded.

"Uh…oh, look, Sam! Gotta go tell him about that football…thing…!" Mike said, running off quickly.

Tina rolled her eyes. "But really, Kurt, that's great. I hope you guys are happy."

"We are," Kurt smiled. "We most certainly are."

Later, Mercedes texted Kurt.

**Divalicious:** So what wuz Artie's other "big surprize?"

**KurtLizH:** Let's just say he blew me away…

**Divalicious: **OMFG

**KurtLizH: **Heehee ;)

**Divalicious: **Kurt, you big gay slut!

**KurtLizH: **You know I am, Mercy ;)

_**Three months later**_

"Artie, Artie, ARTIE!" Kurt ran up to his boyfriend in the hall. "I have BIG news!"

"The last time you said that, you were telling me that Quinn was pregnant," Artie said wearily. "Do I want to know?"

"Don't worry, no one's pregnant this time," Kurt said, bouncing on his toes.

"Good, because I have big news for you, too," Artie said, wiggling a bit in his chair.

"You first!" Kurt exclaimed.

"No, you!" Artie said playfully.

"No, you!"

"No, you!"

"Oh, please," Mercedes said, striding up beside Kurt. "Will you two stop being so damn cute and just get on with it?"

"On three," Kurt said. "One, two…"

"I got accepted to Columbia!" Artie said, just as Kurt said "I got accepted to Julliard!"

The two gasped and hugged each other. "Congrats, you two!" Mercedes said.

"I can't believe we're going to school in New York together!" Kurt cried, clapping his hands excitedly.

"Me, either!" Artie said, dancing in his seat.

"Now we won't have to do the long-distance thing!" Kurt said, eyes widening.

"We can see each other every day, if we wanted!" Artie said, grinning.

"And see a musical every month!" Kurt said, jumping up and down like a little kid.

"Oh for the love of God," Mercedes rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Mercy, you know you're going to school at Berklee. You'll be right in Boston! That's not too far away! Oh my God, we can have weekend dates!"

"That's IF I get into Berklee, Kurt."

"You know you will," Kurt said, waving his hand dismissively.

"If you say so," Mercedes said, turning on her heel and walking away.

Kurt hugged Artie again. "Congrats, baby!"

"You too," Artie replied, kissing Kurt on the forehead.

Kurt pushed Artie down the hall. "So you got into the neurobiology thingy?"

"Yep," Artie said excitedly. "I intend on being the first paraplegic neuroscientist."

"That's so freaking sexy," Kurt sighed. "My boyfriend, the neuroscientist!"

Artie looked over his shoulder at Kurt. "And my boyfriend, the singer."

"Performer," Kurt corrected him. "I'm a performer, darling."

"Right, sorry."

"Broadway, here I come!" Kurt cried out.

"Sweetie, you're enrolled in the classical performance program."

"Yeah," Kurt said. "But this is how Kristin Chenoweth started out!"

"Who?" Artie asked innocently.

Kurt froze. "I'll pretend you did NOT just ask that."

"No, really, who is she?"

Kurt sighed impatiently. "She was the original Glinda in _Wicked_! She was in _You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown_! She was _Pushing Daisies_ and _Steel Pier_ and…"

Artie laughed. "I get it, I get it!"

Kurt sighed in rapture. "She has an amazing voice; 3 octaves! And she's only 4'11"!"

"She's shorter than Rachel?" Artie cracked. Kurt laughed.

"Yep. Also, she's more talented than Rachel. And she dresses better."

Artie laughed. "Even _I_ dress better than Rachel.

Kurt smiled. "Even my _grandmother_ dresses better than Rachel."


	11. Castles in the Sandbox

**Disclimer: So I don't own Glee. What else is new?**

**Note: Okay, so here's the next chunk for you. Graduation, and some pure adorable cuteness. Sandcastles and whatnot. Please read and review? **

**Graduation**

Kurt stood in the large room. He couldn't believe that this day was finally here; he was _graduating_! Artie rolled up to him. Kurt bounced up and down on his toes.

"Can you believe it? We're GRADUATING!" Kurt yelled.

"I know!" Artie said. "It feels like just yesterday, we were meeting…"

"…and 14 years later, here we are!" Kurt finished.

"I know," Artie said softly. Kurt playfully flicked the tassel on Artie's mortarboard. He'd proudly been wearing Artie's promise ring for months now. He hadn't bothered to hide it from his dad, who thought they were too young to be making decisions like that. Kurt didn't care; he was headed off to college in a few short months, 1,000 miles away to the great New York City, and his boyfriend was going with him. His best friend was going to be a few hours away, in Boston (Mercedes had gotten into Berklee College of Music, after all). All was well in the world, at least, for the moment.

After the long (too long, Kurt thought to himself) ceremony, the glee kids met up outside.

"Congrats, you guys," Mr. Schue said, handing each of them a rose. "I'm so proud of all of you."

They all hugged him. "What're you going to do now that all of us are gone?" Finn asked.

"I don't know," Will said. "Maybe I'll find a new group of kids."

"They won't be as good as us, right?" Rachel asked, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Finn playfully shoved her. "Because no one could POSSIBLY live up to the legend of the great Rachel Barbra Berry," he said sarcastically.

"Exactly," she said, not picking up on the jab. "So! Kurt! Off to New York, are we?"

"Yep," he said. "Artie and I will both be there."

"I'll be at Tisch," she said. "But maybe, now that we're no longer competing for solos, we can…hang out sometime?"

Kurt smiled. "I think I'd like that," he said. He and Rachel stared at each other for a moment, before pulling each other in for a long-awaited hug.

"Finally," Mr. Schue said. "I'd been waiting for 3 years for you two to get along!"

Everyone laughed; they had gotten so used to Kurt and Rachel's constant bickering. They almost didn't know what they were going to do without it.

"Well, now that Kurt and Rachel actually like each other," Mr. Schue said, "I'm taking you all out to celebrate!"

"To BreadstiX!" Mercedes lead the cheer.

Artie pulled Kurt onto his lap, and Kurt kissed Artie deeply, removing Artie's mortarboard as he did so, running his hands through Artie's hair. Artie clutched onto Kurt so that Kurt wouldn't fall off his lap. Kurt snuggled in close to his boyfriend, and the two of them rolled off towards their future.

That summer was full of group dates, late summer nights singing, and the glee kids enjoying one last time to be together before they went their separate ways. They were all going to different schools across the country, but they'd all agreed to meet up at least once a year, at their beloved BreadstiX, with Mr. Schuester.

Kurt hummed to himself as he packed for New York. He smiled as he packed his favorite picture of himself and Artie, tucking it into some bubble wrap to keep it safe. He took down his Madonna poster; that was going with him as well. Kurt had requested a single dorm, so he'd have plenty of space to hang up his posters and pictures. He was packing most of his clothes, but left some behind for when he visited. He was looking forward to shopping in one of the fashion capitals of the world; he could practically already hear 5th Avenue calling his name. He couldn't believe he was going to school where he'd be doing nothing but singing all day; that he'd only be mere blocks away from his boyfriend; that he'd be just a train ride away from his best friend. It was almost like a dream, and Kurt had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "_New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do_," he softly sang under his breath as he searched for his favorite sparkly scarf. He was leaving the day after tomorrow, and he just couldn't leave without that scarf! His phone started singing Britney Spears' "Toxic", Artie's new ringtone (programmed and set by Artie himself).

**Wheels: **Tomorrow 8?

**KurtLizH: **Yes, C U there, love 3

The gang was meeting up at BreadstiX for one last dinner before they all left Lima. Kurt was hoping for alone time with Artie, perhaps going to the place where they'd first met, but he knew he'd have plenty of alone time with Artie in New York. His phone rang with another text.

**Wheels: **Meet me at sandbox in half hr

**KurtLizH: **U read my mind

Kurt approached the sandbox where he'd first met Artie, 14 years ago. He was already there, waiting for him. He kissed his boyfriend with a flourish. "Hey, baby."

"Hey," Artie said. "Remember this?" he gestured to the sandbox.

"I sure do," Kurt smiled. "Didn't I yell at you for something?"

"Yes," Artie said. "I wore a sweater-vest. You wore some crazy Marc Jacobs toddler getup. You told me I should be wearing that instead."

"Oh, right," Kurt grinned, remembering now.

"You spoke French at age 4," Artie reminded him.

"Of course I did," Kurt said. "I was obsessed with French things."

"Kurt, you're still obsessed with French things," Artie laughed.

"I remember not wanting to get my clothes dirty," Kurt reminisced.

"Still true," Artie observed.

"Hey, I'm wearing my sweats just for this occasion!" Kurt pointed out.

"…they're designer sweats, aren't they?"

Kurt stammered. "They…um, they're…"

Artie gave him a knowing glance. "Kurt, Kurt, Kurt."

"Okay, so they are," Kurt said. "But they're two seasons ago."

"Of course they are," Artie said, not knowing the difference.

"Look what I brought," Kurt said, holding out the bag he'd been carrying. Artie peered inside. "Shovels and pails?"

"We're gonna play in the sandbox," Kurt said. "Just like old times." Artie's eyes widened. Kurt nodded. "Oh, yes." He picked Artie up gently and sat him down in the sand. Artie hadn't felt sand in so long; there weren't exactly any beaches in Ohio, and he'd stopped coming here after his accident. The sand felt cool and gritty under his fingers. Kurt knelt beside him and handed him a shovel.

"What're we going to do?" Artie asked.

"We're going to make a castle," Kurt said with a gleam in his eye.

Artie laughed, beginning to dig and fill his pail. The two boys laughed and played in the sand, chatting about old memories and plans for the future. After an hour, they'd built the perfect castle, set against the backdrop of the setting sun.

"One final touch," Kurt said, pulling out two glitter-drenched flags and sticking them in the two highest turrets.

"Perfect," Artie smiled. "My camera's in my bag, in the right pocket." Kurt located the camera, set it on automatic, and fixed it on Artie's chair. He quickly sat down next to Artie, threw his arm around Artie's shoulders, and smiled. The camera flashed, capturing the moment.

"And now," Kurt said, pushing a button on the camera. "We post to Facebook."

He helped Artie get back into his chair, plopping himself down in Artie's lap. They watched the sun go down and watched as the Facebook comments started to pop up on Kurt's phone. They got half a dozen "likes" and "aww" comments from the New Directions ladies. Kurt held Artie's hand, tousling Artie's hair with his other hand. Artie lazily draped his arm around Kurt's waist, pulling him in close. Kurt kissed the top of Artie's head, breathing in his spicy shampoo. Artie shivered. How was it that Kurt could still make him feel this way after all these years? Kurt titled Artie's chin up and kissed his lips tenderly. Artie melted, entranced by this whole scene. He caressed Kurt's smooth face slowly, feeling Kurt whimper into the kiss. Finally, they broke away.

"Come on, baby," Kurt whispered. "Let's go back to my place."

"You read my mind," Artie whispered back with a naughty giggle.

"How'd you get here, anyway?" Kurt asked, as he pushed Artie out of the park.

"I rolled," Artie said.

"Come on. I drove my baby here. I'm not letting you roll anywhere in the dark."

Artie didn't complain; he loved driving with Kurt. Kurt helped Artie into the passenger seat, and then folded up his chair, putting it safely in the backseat. Kurt slid into the driver's seat and turned the key. They started to drive off. Soon, they reached an intersection. Artie started to shake quietly. Kurt looked over.

"What's wrong, honey?"

"This is where it happened," Artie whispered, still shaking.

"Oh my God," Kurt muttered. He immediately pulled over into the nearest parking lot. He unbuckled his seatbelt and pulled Artie close to him, soothing him.

"Artie, tell me what happened that night."

"You know what happened, Kurt. I lost my legs; you lost your mother."

"I know that," Kurt said calmly. "I want to know your perspective on it. I want to know how it happened through your eyes." Artie didn't respond. "Talking about this will be good for you, baby," Kurt whispered, kissing Artie's forehead.

Artie laid his head on Kurt's chest. "We were coming home from the movies. You were home, getting over a cold. Your mom was driving, my mom was in the passenger seat, and I was in the backseat, on the driver's side." Kurt stroked Artie's hair, encouraging him to continue. "We were talking about the movie, and how much you would've liked it. It was raining that night. I remember jumping into puddles when we were walking to the car after the movie…that was the last time I'd ever jump," Artie said sadly. Kurt gave a sympathetic moan, kissing Artie's temple. "Anyway," Artie continued. "We were driving home, and I saw really bright headlights coming at us really fast. We were stopped at the intersection, and this car wasn't stopping. I heard our moms scream. I think I screamed, too. The last thing I remember before the impact was my mom looking back at me. Then, everything went black. The other driver hit the driver's side, but the force of the impact was on your mom's door. That's why she died, and why I got so messed up, while my mom was more or less fine." Kurt sniffled. He pulled Artie closer. "Do you know what my first memory upon waking up in the hospital was?" Artie asked.

"No; what was your first memory upon waking up?" Kurt asked softly.

"You holding my hand," Artie said, looking up at Kurt. "You were holding my hand and talking to me."

Kurt smiled fondly at the bittersweet memory. "I remember that now," he said.

"You climbed in bed with me, and you held me. I remember that, too."

"Climbing into bed with another guy at the mere age of 8," Kurt giggled. "I was a tramp even back then."

Artie smiled. "I thought it was very sweet."

"Do you feel better now?" Kurt asked quietly.

"Yes," Artie said. "You were right. I needed to talk about that. I hadn't talked about it since I saw my therapist, and that was years ago."

"Good," Kurt said. "Let's go home now." Artie agreed.

_**Later**_

The two boys lay on Kurt's bed, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

Artie traced Kurt's hipbone with his finger. Kurt shivered.

"Artie, can I ask you a serious question?"

"Of course. What's up?"

"Do you ever think about it?"

"Think about what?" Artie asked, confused.

"Marriage," Kurt said, not quite meeting Artie's eyes.

"What do you mean?" Artie asked, tilting Kurt's chin up to look into his eyes.

Kurt looked away. "I mean, us. Getting married someday."

Artie sighed. "I have thought about it," he admitted.

"What about children. Do you want children?" Kurt asked, twiddling his fingers.

"Yes," Artie said.

"Adopted?"

"What other way is there for two gay men?" Artie asked.

"Surrogate," Kurt said absent-mindedly.

"…surrogate, Kurt?"

"Rachel's mom was a surrogate, wasn't she?"

"I believe so."

"And who, pray tell, would we get to be a surrogate for our children?"

Kurt shrugged. "Mercedes?"

Artie laughed. "Somehow, I can't imagine Mercedes pregnant."

Kurt's mouth opened, but Artie cut him off. "And don't even suggest Quinn, Kurt. She's already had one unwanted pregnancy."

Kurt closed his mouth and sighed. "I do want kids, Artie."

"How many?" Artie asked, afraid.

"Mmm…maybe two?" Kurt said, unsure.

"I think I can deal with two," Artie said.

"Do you think we'd make good parents?" Kurt asked worriedly.

"Yes," Artie said. "I think we'd make awesome parents."

Kurt snuggled up to Artie's chest. "Do you want to?"

"When we're older, love," Artie whispered. "We can't yet, not legally."

"When we're 18, then?" Kurt asked, voice muffled by Artie's chest.

"Maybe," Artie said. "When the time's right."

Kurt seemed to accept that answer, and found himself falling asleep in Artie's arms.


	12. Remember When?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. **

**Note: Just a quick chapter for you! I've only got a few more-this one's gonna go through the boys' first year of college. I may or may not do a sequel. Please review! I'd like to break 20 reviews on this one, haha. **

_**The next evening**_

The entire gang was gathered at BreadstiX for one last Glee blowout before they headed off for college the next day. Every member in the club was there, even Matt, who had left after their first year when he transferred to another school.

"Does anyone have any last-minute news?" Rachel asked, after she'd settled them all down, resuming her (unofficial) role as leader of the group.

"I do," Quinn volunteered, raising her hand. "Look what Shelby sent me," she said, pulling a few pictures out of her bag. "Beth," she whispered.

Beth was Quinn's daughter with Puck, whom she'd given up for adoption. The adoptive mother was Rachel's biological mother, who'd taken Beth as her own.

"Aww," the group chorused. They hadn't seen Beth since Quinn had given birth to her, a little over two years ago.

"She's beautiful," Kurt murmured, handing a picture to Artie. And she was; she was a beautiful mix of both Quinn's and Puck's features.

"Thank you," Quinn whispered, tears filling in her eyes; she missed her daughter. Kurt reached for Quinn's hand, holding it tight. "Thanks", she mouthed to him. He blinked once, as if to say "you're welcome". Once the pictures had been passed around and put away, the topic of past memories came up.

"Remember our first performance together?" Artie said, smirking.

"Oh, Lord, don't _remind_ me of that!" Rachel groaned.

"Wait, what was your first performance together?" Sam asked. He hadn't been at McKinley for that episode.

"We did 'Push It', by Salt-n-Pepa," Artie explained.

"Complete with sexy choreography," Tina added.

"It was sufficiently awkward," Kurt said. "Considering I was playing 'straight' at the time and had to practically _grind_ on Mercedes."

"Whose idea what that?" Lauren asked, bemusedly.

"Rachel's," Tina, Mercedes, Finn, Kurt, and Artie said simultaneously.

Rachel blushed. "They wanted sex. We gave them sex."

"We gave Mr. Schue a mini-heart attack," Mercedes said, laughing.

"Hey, the next 'sexy' performance we did, he joined it!" Rachel defended herself.

"Oh, you mean when we did 'Toxic'?" Mike asked.

"That was awesome," Brittany jumped in. "I was finally able to escape the torment of Britney Spears."

They rolled their eyes. "Hey, remember our 'theatricality' week?" Kurt asked.

"Yes!" the girls (except Lauren) cried.

"Oh, that was the best," Rachel gushed.

"So much fun," Santana admitted.

"I looked awesome," Brittany said, fondly remembering that week.

"I still don't see how you wore those heels to school," Finn said to Kurt.

"I know! I had blisters for weeks!" Kurt said, giggling and wincing.

"Oh, oh, oh," Lauren said. "Remember our zombie week?"

"Aw man, yes," Puck said. "That was EPIC, man!"

"Artie here was BRILLIANT as a zombie Michael Jackson," Mike said, clapping Artie on the shoulder.

Matt looked out of the loop. "I remember when we thought Glee was going to end."

"Oh, yeah," the originals said, sadly. They'd lost Regionals that year, and thought that the principal was going to cut off funding for Glee Club. Luckily, he hadn't, and here they were, three years later.

"I remember Christmas," Kurt said quietly.

"Didn't Coach Beiste give Artie that walking thing?" Santana asked.

"Yeah," Artie said. "She gave me a ReWalk. I still don't know why she did."

"Wait, I thought we never found out who gave you that thing," Finn said.

"Coach admitted it to me a few months later," Artie said.

"Oh."

There was silence for a few moments.

"Remember when Kurt was the temporary kicker for the football team?" Finn asked.

They burst out laughing. Kurt flushed a deep red. "Temporary, I remind you!" he said.

"You made us all do the Single Ladies dance," Puck reminded the group. "I still can't believe you convinced us it would actually make us play better."

"Ahem. I believe we _won_ that game, Puckerman."

"Oh yeah," Puck said.

"Remember when the Original Six sang 'Don't Stop Believing' for the first time?" Rachel asked, bringing up the strongest memory for her.

Tina sighed. "Yes. That was my favorite performance."

Kurt nodded his agreement. "I got to wear a red ruffled shirt. That was great."

"What about when we made that commercial for Mattress Land?" Matt said.

"Oh, God," Mercedes groaned. "I think my muscles still hurt from that one!"

"You guys did a commercial?" Sam asked.

"_Rachel_ got it in her head that we needed to be in a commercial to show how 'cool' we were," Artie rolled his eyes.

"…a mattress commercial?" Lauren asked.

"Yep," Kurt said. "At least we got to wear those ah-dorable pajamas."

"What about our first diva-off?" Mercedes brought up. "Kurt vs. Rachel, the great Defying Gravity showdown of 2010."

Kurt winced. "Don't remind me."

Rachel reached over and patted his hand. "You should've won," she mouthed.

He shrugged, like "maybe".

"What about when we had to all be in wheelchairs for a week to see how it is for Artie?" Finn asked. "Man, that was cool!"

"It was rather fun," Tina said.

"I enjoyed watching you guys fall off the stage while we were rehearsing for 'Proud Mary'," Artie chuckled. "I _told_ you to distribute your weight!"

"I think I still have the bruises to prove it," Mercedes laughed.

"What about when our parents got married?" Finn asked Kurt.

Kurt smiled. "A glee wedding."

"And when we did _Rocky Horror_!" Tina said suddenly.

"Aw man, don't remind me," Sam shuddered. "I still have nightmares about that pair of gold underwear."

"It was hot," Quinn breathed.

Sam blushed. "Anyway."

"We've really had some great times together, haven't we?" Finn asked.

"We're a family," Rachel smiled.

"We always will be," Kurt said, looking at Artie and smiling, taking his hand.

Brittany leaned her head on Santana's shoulder. Tina wrapped her arms around Mike. Puck threw an arm around Lauren. Matt sat awkwardly off to the side. The group exchanged last-minute hugs and kisses before parting their separate ways; tomorrow was the start of new adventures for New Directions.


	13. First Day of College

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

**Note: I've been neglecting writing this story in favor of "Playing With Fire". Whoops! This is the last bit I wrote, weeks ago. I'll work on some more of it tonight before I start "Phoenix" (the sequel to PWF) on Sunday. Hope you like this! Reviews are welcome.**

_**One week later—Kurt's first day at Julliard**_

Kurt was looking forward to his very first day of classes at Julliard. He'd been looking forward to them since he was 5, actually. He strutted into his first class, hopeful that this would be somewhat like New Directions, except without Rachel's nagging. He took a seat between two friendly-looking girls, confident that he'd made the right choice both in school and in first-day-of-college outfit.

The professor entered the room. "Let's go around the circle and introduce ourselves," he began. "Tell us your name, where you're from, your vocal status, and a little about yourself. You can tell us about your background in music, if you wish."

Kurt fidgeted until it came time for his turn. "Hi, everyone!" he trilled. "My name's Kurt Hummel. I'm from Lima, Ohio. I'm a soprano, mostly, and I was in my high school's Glee club—nationally ranked—New Directions. I love scarves, Barbra Streisand, and fashion. I hope to become great friends with all of you!"

A couple of the guys smirked, but the pretty redhead to Kurt's left smiled at him. He smiled back, hoping he'd just made a friend. He could already tell he was going to love it here at Julliard.

_**One week later—Artie's first day at Columbia**_

"Hey, can you tell me where the elevator is, please?" Artie desperately asked another student wandering the hall.

"Sure. Hey, are you going to Psych 101?"

"Yeah," Artie said.

"Me, too," the girl said. "Come on. I'll give you a push there."

Artie felt relieved at not having to roll himself through the confusing layout of the building. "Thanks," he said gratefully.

"No problem," she said, grabbing hold of his chair. "Say, I'm Lizzy Brown."

"Artie Abrams," Artie nodded his greeting.

Lizzy smiled. "My brother's in a wheelchair, too. Paraplegic."

"No kiddin'? Me, too," Artie said.

"I figured," Lizzy said, backing Artie into the elevator. "So, tell me about yourself, Artie Abrams. Where you from?"

"Ohio," Artie said. "You?"

"Connecticut," Lizzy said.

There was a bit of an awkward silence.

"So I'll bet you have a girlfriend, cutie pie like you," Lizzy said casually.

"Uh, no, actually. I have a boyfriend."

Lizzy's eyes widened. "You're gay?"

Artie nodded.

Lizzy high-fived him. "Me, too, bro!"

Artie laughed. He could tell that they were going to be good friends.

They still had a few minutes by the time they got to class, so they continued to chat conversationally.

"Tell me about this fabulous boyfriend," Lizzy said.

"His name's Kurt," Artie said, blushing. "He's up at Julliard, actually."

"Aw, that's cool," Lizzy said. "I wish my girlfriend went to school in NYC, too. She's in Massachusetts, though," she said forlornly.

"That sucks," Artie said, sympathetic, yet glad he went to school near Kurt.

"Tell me about it," Lizzy muttered. "So is Kurt a dance major or what?"

"Classical performance major," Artie clarified. "A singer. He's fixed on Broadway."

"Nice," she said. "My girl's a dance major, so that's why I asked."

"I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship," Artie said, shaking Lizzy's hand.

_**That night**_

"So, how was your day, honey?" Kurt was on the phone with Artie, relaxed and warm from his shower.

"It was good. I made a new friend already!"

"That's great, sweetie. What's their name?"

"Her name's Lizzy."

Kurt's heart thudded. "A girl?"

"Don't worry, Kurt. She's a lesbian. She doesn't like guys. Besides, I don't even like girls in that way! Relax!"

Kurt laughed nervously. "Right. Sorry about that. Guess I'm just not used to this yet. I'm so used to being able to drive to your house in less than 10 minutes."

"Kurt…we still live in the same city."

"I know. But now I have to take two subways to get to you!"

"At least you don't have to pay for gas," Artie pointed out.

"…you've got me there," Kurt said.

"So have you made any friends yet?"

Kurt shook his head, then felt silly, because Artie couldn't see him. "Nope."

"Aw, well, you will," Artie said reassuringly. "I mean, you could make friends with a rock if you wanted to."

Kurt laughed. "I had a pet rock once."

Artie racked his memory for a few moments. "Is that the one you called Coco, after Coco Chanel?"

Kurt giggle-snorted. "I can't believe you actually _remember_ that!"

Artie smiled to himself. "Have you heard from anyone from Glee?"

"Mercedes texted me earlier; she's doing fine. She was practically salivating over the cute boys over at Berklee."

Artie shook his head; that was so typically Mercedes. "Tina left me a voicemail a little while ago."

"Oh?" Kurt said. "How's BU?"

"It's good, from what she told me. I can't believe she's going to major in speech pathology, especially after Stuttergate."

"Ah, yes, Stuttergate," Kurt said. "If you ask me, that was just pushing it a bit. I can see faking it once, but I can't believe she faked it all of those years."

"Still," Artie said. "I think she'll be good at this. She's good with kids."

There was a moment of silence. Kurt shifted on his bed, feeling lonely.

"Are you okay, baby?" Artie asked softly.

It was as if Artie could read Kurt's mind, they were that much in synch with each other.

"Just missing you," Kurt admitted. "Being in a single room is nice, but it's lonely."

There was a knock on the door. "Gotta go," Kurt said. "Someone's here. I'll call you back in a few minutes." He clicked off the phone. "Come in," he called.

The redhead from Kurt's class earlier that day walked in. "Hi. You're Kurt, right?" He nodded. "Hi, I'm Ariana," she said.

"Hey," he said quietly. "Come on in."

She closed the door and sat in Kurt's desk chair. "What brings you here?" Kurt asked.

"I noticed you in class today. You seemed like a pretty cool guy. And when you mentioned that you were in New Directions, I knew I had to get to know you. See, I was at that Nationals competition, too," she said.

"Oh?" Kurt asked, sitting up a little, suddenly interested. "You were in a Glee club, too?"

"No," she said. "But I live here in New York, and I've always enjoyed going to that competition. My mom brought me every year since I was a little girl. I remember seeing your group perform, and I was blown away. That girl has quite some voice."

"Which one?" Kurt asked, knowing full well who she was talking about (so he thought).

"The black one," Ariana said.

"Oh, that's Mercedes," Kurt said, smiling. "She's my best friend."

"She's got a fierce set of pipes," Ariana said.

"Yeah," Kurt said.

"I also liked that boy in the wheelchair. I mean, he only had a couple of solo lines, but they were really very good."

Kurt smiled even wider. "That's Artie, my boyfriend."

"Aww," Ariana said. "You two make a cute couple."

"Why, thank you," Kurt said. "We've been told."

"Does he have cerebral palsy or…?"

"No. Paraplegic, actually."

Ariana moaned sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I mean, my mother died in the same accident that he lost his legs, but it's all good. I have a great stepmother now, and a stepbrother, and an amazing boyfriend."

Ariana sucked in a breath. "Geez, you've been through a lot, haven't you, honey?"

Kurt nodded. "It's made me stronger, though."

Ariana looked at her watch. "I'd better go. It was nice talking to you, Kurt. Maybe we could meet up after class tomorrow or something?"

"That'd be…nice," Kurt said.

"Cool. Well, see you tomorrow." With a wave, she exited Kurt's room.

Kurt called Artie back. "I just made a friend!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"That's great," Artie said wholeheartedly. "What's her name?"

"What makes you so sure it's a she?" Kurt giggled naughtily.

"Kurt…"

Kurt sighed. "Okay, fine. Her name's Ariana. Get this: she lives here in NYC, and she actually saw our Nationals performance!"

"Wow," Artie said. "That's cool."

"That's not all. She totally complemented your performance, and then said we make a cute couple!"

"Hmm," Artie said. "I think she's okay by me!"

Kurt laughed. "I thought you'd say that."

"Well, I'm wiped," Artie said. "I think I'll turn in."

"Goodnight, Artie. I love you."

"Goodnight, love you, too."

Kurt flopped back on his bed and sighed. A new friend, and a decent first day. Maybe college without Artie wouldn't be as hard as he thought it would be. His phone buzzed with a text.

**WarBler: **Hey, stranger

Kurt's eyes widened; he hadn't heard from Blaine in a few weeks.

**KurtLizH: **Hey, yourself

**WarBler: **How was first day?

**KurtLizH: **Pretty good, you?

**WarBler: **Not bad; Emerson rocks!

**KurtLizH: **Emerson? Isn't that in Boston?

**WarBler: **Yessir!

Kurt's pulse quickened. Blaine was in Boston, right near Tina and Mercedes? He could hop on the train anytime he wanted and go see him?

**KurtLizH: **Kewl. Mercedes and Tina are in Boston, too

**WarBler: **Awesome, where?

**KurtLizH****: **Mercy = Berklee, Tina = BU

**WarBler: **Sweetness. You can visit me and them at same time

Kurt smiled to himself; exactly what he'd been thinking.

**KurtLizH: **Exactly what I was thinking

**WarBler: **Won't Artie get mad?

Kurt froze. _Shit._ He remembered the last Blaine/Artie showdown, outside the theater after Blaine kissed him in the heat of the moment.

**KurtLizH: **I'll bring Artie w/me. Can't get mad cuz he'll see everything. Besides, we worked out our trust issues years ago.

**WarBler: **Good; so it's a date?

**KurtLizH: **It's a date!

He flipped his phone closed once again and smiled. This _would_ work out, he told himself. He could have his friend and his boyfriend in the same room without any drama. Right?

Right?


	14. Shopping in Boston

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

**Note: This is the next-to-last chapter! Yes, folks, the next chapter is the last chapter. Sadness. But there WILL be a sequel! I'll tell you more about that later. For now, just review this, pretty please.**

_**Three months later**_

"I can't believe we're going Christmas shopping in Boston!" Kurt bounced excitedly on his train seat.

"I'm just glad to see Tina again," Artie said sadly. He'd missed Tina.

"I'm glad to see Mercedes," Kurt agreed. "Okay, so we're gonna meet up with them for lunch at Quincy Market, and then we're going to go shopping in that area. Then we're going to walk around and go shopping in even more stores."

Artie rolled his eyes.

"Boston is the birthplace of Newbury Comic," Kurt told Artie, trying to get him psyched.

"Really?" Artie perked up.

"Yep!"

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"I can't control what time we get there," Kurt laughed.

A few hours later, they were in Boston, one of America's oldest and greatest cities.

"Okay, so I think we go this way," Kurt held his map. "Or maybe…maybe it's this way."

Artie took the map and turned it around. "It was upside-down, sweetheart."

Kurt blushed. "Maybe you should control the map, then."

Artie studied it carefully for a moment. "Okay. So we're going to go left out of here…"

After several minutes of mindless wandering, they made it there. "Thank God, I'm starved," Artie moaned.

"Is food all you can think about?" Kurt teased him.

"KURT!"

Kurt whirled around. "MERCEDES!" He ran into his old friend's arms.

"Ooh, I've missed you, boo!" She squeezed him tightly.

"Missed you too," he murmured back.

"Artie," Tina whispered softly.

"Hi, Tee," he whispered back. They hugged awkwardly.

"We, uh, we ran into a friend," she said, stepping back.

Kurt, having heard her, let go of Mercedes. "Friend? Um, who?"

She moved aside. "Hi," Blaine waved shyly.

Kurt stumbled backwards, though he had been somewhat expecting this. "Blaine?"

"It's me," he looked down.

"We ran into him here, and we told him that you two were visiting today. So he joined in," Tina explained quickly. "He wanted to see you again."

"I've missed you, Kurt." It had been a couple of years, but Blaine had never gotten over Kurt. He'd tried, tried so hard, but he just was never able to get over him. He still harbored very deep feelings for this boy.

"I've missed you, too," Kurt said softly. They looked at each other for a few moments. Mercedes cleared her throat, fearing a repeat of the Movie/Theatre Incident.

Kurt snapped out of it. "Blaine, you remember Artie, right?"

"Hey, man," Artie fist-bumped Blaine.

"SO LET'S GO EAT," Mercedes said in an extra-loud voice.

"Agreed," Artie said. "I'm starving!"

Things became a little awkward at lunch as they discussed their respective college lives.

"So…where are you, Blaine?" Artie asked, trying to break the tension.

"Uh, Emerson," Blaine said back, picking at his Panini. There was another awkward silence.

"So how's Columbia?" Mercedes asked Artie.

"It's nice," he said. "I met this nice girl. Her brother is a paraplegic too, so we sort of bonded over that."

"Don't worry," Kurt laughed, seeing the looks of confusion on their faces. "She's not into boys like that."

Blaine continued to pick at his food. "What's wrong?" Kurt asked him carefully.

"Can I talk to you?" Blaine blurted out.

"Yeah, sure," Kurt stood up from his seat quickly. He followed Blaine out into the area with all the little stalls selling trinkets.

"What's up?"

"Kurt, I…I thought coming here and seeing you would be a good thing."

Kurt frowned. "It's not? What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything," Blaine reassured him. "It's me."

"Blaine?"

"I never got over you," Blaine held out his hands in exasperation. "I never got over you, Kurt. I tried. God knows I did. But I was just never able to get over you. And now…seeing you here today…with Artie…and with that ring on your finger…" Kurt shoved the hand with the promise ring on it in his pocket. "Just…tell me when the wedding is," Blaine begged. "And I'll leave you alone."

Kurt looked confused. "Wedding? Oh, the ring! Blaine, that's just a promise ring."

Blaine brightened up a bit. "So you're not getting married?"

"Not anytime soon," Kurt smiled. "Look, Blaine…I really like you, okay? I do. But…as a friend. I'm sorry, but my heart belongs to Artie. He's the one I'm going to spend the rest of my life with."

"So there's no chance, huh?"

"No," Kurt shook his head. "No chance."

Blaine shuffled his feet. "But I love you."

"You can't," Kurt puffed out his cheeks in frustration. "You have to get over me."

Blaine began to cry like a little girl who was told her Valentine wasn't pretty enough.

"Stop crying," Kurt chastised him. "And go get over me. We can be friends but that's _it_."

Blaine sighed. "Okay," he finally said.

Kurt held out his hand. "Friends?"

Blaine smiled and shook it. "Friends."

"Good. Let's go before Tina and Mercedes start making out."

Blaine's eyes widened. "Are they…?"

"No," Kurt laughed. "But hey, you never know what happens at those girl's nights."

Blaine giggled. "Definitely not the same that happens at boy's nights!"

Kurt slid in next to Artie. "Everything okay?" Artie asked.

"Yep," Kurt smiled. "It's all good now."

"Good, because they won't shut up about shopping."

Mercedes scoffed. "Not true. We were also talking about cute guys."

"That, too," Artie rolled his eyes.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Kurt stood up, leading the expedition. The girls giggled and linked arms with him.

"Come on, the best stores are over here," Tina tugged him in one direction.

"No, they're over here!" Mercedes pulled him in the other.

"Ladies, ladies, we need a plan of attack!" Kurt laughed gently.

Blaine shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Wanna go check out Newbury Comic?"

Artie grinned. "Now you're talkin'!"

They went off laughing towards the store, eager to find some "boy things". Kurt ended up shopping with the girls in search of Christmas presents for his stepmother, father, and friends back in Ohio.

"What should I get Rachel?"

"A giant gold star," Tina snorted.

"There's a Build-a-Bear over there. Why don't you make her a 'star' bear?" Mercedes said.

"Perfect!" Kurt dragged them over there, Tina rolling her eyes the entire way. But her attitude soon changed as she had fun making bears, cats, and unicorns for her friends and family.

"I think I'm going to make a football player for Mike," she said. "But I'm going to make it a football playing unicorn."

Kurt nearly keeled over laughing. "And I'll make a popstar monkey for Rachel!"

Mercedes nearly wet her pants. "Oh, that's precious," she laughed.

So the girls were girls and the boys were boys.

And all was right in the world.


	15. Married?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

**Note: Okay, so it's a short chapter, and it's kind of choppy, but I really didn't know how to write it. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I didn't know how to quite make it happen. Anyway, so here's the end of this half of A Kartie Story! I will do a sequel of their later years, from right after this ends til them having children of their own. **

_**Five months later**_

"Come on, Artie. Let's just go to Boston for the day. I made plans with Mercedes and Tina to celebrate 'surviving-our-first-year-of-college'. We're gonna go out to dinner and everything!"

Artie sighed. "When are we doing this?"

Kurt squirmed. "Tomorrow?"

"…and you're just telling me this now?"

Kurt looked embarrassed. "It may have slipped my mind…"

Artie chuckled. "It's okay. Where are we going to dinner?"

"_That_ is a secret," Kurt teased. "But do wear something nice."

Artie gave him a funny look, but agreed. "What else are we doing?"

"Well, I figured we'd just spend the night there, you know, get a hotel room. And then we can just fly back to Lima the day after."

"It's a plan. And Kurt?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

Kurt grinned. "I love you, too." Kurt had a secret that only two others knew about, and he could see now that his plan just might come off without a hitch.

_**The next day**_

Kurt and Artie took the train early the next morning.

"I'm surprised you're so alert right now," Artie whispered. "Usually you're dead to the world before nine in the morning."

Kurt stared out the window, distracted. "Yeah, um, I went to bed early last night."

Artie frowned. "Are you okay? You seem really jumpy."

"I'm fine," Kurt murmured. "Just excited to go back home."

Artie reached over for Kurt's hand. "Me, too."

Kurt gave a tiny smile and squeezed Artie's hand gently. Once they arrived in the city, Kurt wheeled Artie out into the bright, sunny day. "Perfect day," he smiled, easing up a little. He stopped in front of a large white building.

"What's this? Kurt, why are we at a courthouse?"

Kurt took a deep breath. "Let's get married," he breathed.

"What?" Artie said in disbelief.

"Please, baby, let's just do it. You said you would when we were both old enough, and we're both eighteen now, and it's totally legal in Massachusetts! Look, we're here right now and…and I love you…and I just want to be with you forever and ever. I can't imagine my life without anyone else, Artie, and…oh, God, Artie, please just say yes, please marry me today, right here, right now!"

Artie stared at Kurt for a long moment. "Kurt…I…"

Kurt's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Artie, please don't do this to me, don't break my heart like this, I don't think I can-"

Artie held up his hand. "I was going to say, I will."

Kurt blinked rapidly. "Wh…wh…wha…"

"I will marry you. Why not? It's a beautiful day, and I did promise you. And I'm obviously madly in love with you. Why not marry you?"

Kurt squealed. "Oh my God," he threw his arms around Artie. "He said yes!"

Mercedes and Tina appeared from seemingly nowhere and showered them with congratulations and hugs. "Where did you guys come from?" Artie laughed.

"Kurt told us to be here today, and, in the hopes that you would say yes, that we would be the witnesses to this marriage."

"I couldn't have asked for better witnesses," Artie smiled. He turned to face Kurt. "Let's do this, honey."

Kurt broke into a wide grin and held Artie's hand as Tina wheeled him into the courthouse. "We're getting married," he told the clerk excitedly, who directed them towards where the justice of the peace was.

"We are gathered here today in the presence of God and these witnesses to see these two gentlemen be bound in holy matrimony," the justice of the peace began the ceremony. Kurt couldn't even hold in his tears; he began to cry, overjoyed. He cried all the way through his vows, while Mercedes sniggered and took pictures and video clips. Kurt vowed to get Mercedes back, someday. For now, he couldn't believe that he was about to be a married man to his childhood and high-school sweetheart. Artie didn't cry much during the ceremony, but he wasn't able to wipe a massive smile from his face. Tina and Mercedes signed off on the marriage certificate, and thus, Kurt and Artie were officially and indeed legally married.


End file.
